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Facebook, along with Google, is one of the largest advertising companies in the world.

But the social network has come under fire for allegedly pushing targeted advertisements towards vulnerable users .

The Australian revealed it had come into possession of a leaked document from the gigantic tech company showing how it exploits the moods of its users.

"The confidential document dated this year detailed how by monitoring posts, comments and interactions on the site, Facebook can figure out when people as young as 14 feel 'defeated', 'overwhelmed', 'stressed', 'anxious', 'nervous', 'stupid', 'silly', 'useless', and a 'failure'," the newspaper reported .

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"Such information gathered through a system dubbed sentiment analysis could be used by advertisers to target young Facebook users when they are potentially more vulnerable."

Facebook has tersely dismissed the accusation. While it acknowledged that it shares research analysis with advertisers, it called the article "misleading".

"Facebook does not offer tools to target people based on their emotional state,” the company told Mirror Tech in a statement.

"The analysis done by an Australian researcher was intended to help marketers understand how people express themselves on Facebook.

"It was never used to target ads and was based on data that was anonymous and aggregated.

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"Facebook has an established process to review the research we perform. This research did not follow that process, and we are reviewing the details to correct the oversight."

One part of the document seen by The Australian explains how image-recognition tools used on both Facebook and Instagram to reveal how users "represent moments" around things like meal times and gym sessions.

It reportedly states: "Anticipatory emotions are more likely to be expressed early in the week, while reflective emotions increase on the weekend.

"Monday-Thursday is about building confidence; the weekend is for broadcasting achievements."

(Image: Getty)

However, the document also makes a point that these insights are limited to Australian and New Zealand users. Facebook hasn't confirmed - or denied - that the same principles are applied worldwide. Mirror Tech has asked Facebook for clarification on this point, but the social network declined to comment on it.

The 23-page leaked document appears to breach the Australian Code for Advertising & Marketing Communications to Children guidelines and will likely spark an inquiry from British regulators.

Facebook currently boasts over 1.23 billion active global users around the world. And it knows a lot about them.

There are some steps you can take to discover the extent of the info they're sharing with advertisers.

Do you know about the Your Categories section?

To access the information contained in this section, follow these steps.

1. Click on the Privacy Shortcuts tab.

2. Click on More Settings.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and find Advertss

4. Under Ad Preferences click Your Information

5. Click Your Information, and you'll be able to see the list details Facebook knows about you.