How do social networks collect and use your personal data?

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram - all of these social networks are an integral part of our daily lives and rarely raise suspicions in terms of security. However, even a simple story, comment or like leaves so-called digital footprints that help large corporations identify our identity. Moreover, thanks to modern technology and the development of AI, the mechanisms for collecting and processing your personal information are becoming more and more efficient.

Many Facebook users have seen the message “I do not authorize Facebook to use my photos, posts or publications.” You may have even used it in your feed. This message has been circulating for at least 10 years. The problem is that it's effectively useless - by accepting Facebook's terms of use we consent from the outset to extensive use of our personal data. Posts of this nature only emphasize users' concerns about the security of personal data. For what purpose will they be used by corporations? In addition, the rapid development of neural networks and machine learning is increasingly worrying users as photos, recordings and other personal information may be used without their consent.

Do I own my data?

From the very beginning, your personal data belongs to you. The best proof of this is that today some apps offer to buy them from you: your consumption habits, data about your geolocation and so on. All this is valuable primarily for Internet giants, which process huge amounts of consumer data for a variety of purposes, from analyzing audiences to promoting new products.

At the same time, Internet users, as a rule, scatter their personal data all over the digital world on a daily basis without even realizing it. It's worth remembering - absolutely every action you take online leaves a digital footprint behind you. By creating an account in a social network or installing an application on your phone, you agree to a number of conditions that are clearly spelled out in the terms of use of the service or application. Otherwise, you simply won't be able to continue using it. Although companies hide important privacy clauses, the choice is yours.

The price of your personal information

When a private company develops a free service online, it has to find a way to pay for it, and that way is through advertising. In this way, your personal data - not only that which is requested from you, but also that which you voluntarily give to a social network - will be collected and processed at the same time as the data of thousands or millions of other online users, and the resulting profiling will be sold to third parties for advertising purposes. As a result, the site will be able to offer you super-targeted advertising based on the profile it has compiled: more effective and therefore more profitable for it.

To a certain extent, the law protects your data. A number of laws in Europe and elsewhere in the world undertake to tell you what and for what purpose they collect about you, to obtain your consent, and to allow you to exercise your right to access, restrict or delete that data.

A legitimate question arises - how much do social networks make from our accounts? Economist Julien Pillot accessed the figures for Facebook and its more than three billion active users. “On average, a Facebook account generates between $10 and $11 dollars a year in advertising revenue,” says the economist. There are differences based on geographic location. “The average user in North America brings in an average of $50 to $60 dollars a year to Facebook. A European user brings in $15 to $18 dollars a year. For Asia, it's more like $4 to $5 dollars.”

In order to collect as much data as possible, digital corporations are interested in having users spend as much time as possible on their platforms. To this end, they are developing various strategies. For example, the ability to infinitely scroll a page is not an incidental element of the interface. Similarly, displaying emotionally charged content that encourages commenting or liking is also a purposeful decision. These strategies aim to keep users on the platform for as long as possible. This begs the question of what degree of dependence on these digital platforms we can come to.

For those who are willing to pay not to share their data, this is possible from November 2023. Meta offers paid subscriptions - this new service was introduced under pressure from new European legislation. A subscription costs 12 euros per month - that is an amount that corresponds to the average revenue generated by Facebook from our accounts.

How do you protect your data?

In the digital age, protecting personal data is of paramount importance and there are some simple steps you can take to limit the risks. First of all, set up your accounts properly, disabling options such as geolocation or facial recognition unless you need them. Remember to regularly log out of your accounts after using them, especially when browsing the internet using your Google or YouTube account or installing a new app through Facebook. These actions will help reduce unintentional sharing of your information.

It's also important to manage cookies: today, most sites give you the option to accept or reject some or all cookies, so take advantage of this to gain more control over your data.

Here are some key steps to protect your data:

• Customize your accounts to limit access to sensitive data.
• Disable unnecessary features, such as geolocation.
• Log out of your accounts after each session.
• Refuse unnecessary cookies or customize them according to your preferences.
• Don't use your social media accounts to connect to other services.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the use of personal data by social media emphasizes the importance of taking steps to protect our privacy. Although platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter benefit financially from our information, it is possible to limit this exchange by applying simple and effective methods such as customizing accounts, managing cookies or disabling some intrusive features. Faced with these strategies to maximize the use of our time spent online, we must be even more vigilant to regain control over our data and social media use.