Most people are somewhat familiar with the tracking that Facebook does. You’ve likely noticed ads for something that you’ve searched for in the past or talked about with a friend. However, this issue has become more prevalent as news continues to surface surrounding privacy breaches and security concerns for its users. Facebook is quickly expanding into more aspects of its users everyday lives. It launched its VPN product, Onavo Protect, which raised concerns because it was portrayed as a privacy product, but tracked and stored the data of the people using it.

98 Things Facebook Tracks

Location Age Generation Gender Language Education level Field of study School Ethnic affinity Income and net worth Home ownership and type Home value Property size Square footage of home Year home was built Household composition Users who have an anniversary within 30 days Users who are away from family or hometown Users who are friends with someone who has an anniversary, is newly married or engaged, recently moved, or has an upcoming birthday Users in long-distance relationships Users in new relationships Users who have new jobs Users who are newly engaged Users who are newly married Users who have recently moved Users who have birthdays soon Parents Expectant parents Mothers, divided by “type” (soccer, trendy, etc.) Users who are likely to engage in politics Conservatives and liberals Relationship status Employer Industry Job title Office type Interests Users who own motorcycles Users who plan to buy a car (and what kind/brand of car, and how soon) Users who bought auto parts or accessories recently Users who are likely to need auto parts or services Style and brand of car you drive Year car was bought Age of car How much money user is likely to spend on next car Where user is likely to buy next car How many employees your company has Users who own small businesses Users who work in management or are executives Users who have donated to charity (divided by type) Operating system Users who play canvas games Users who own a gaming console Users who have created a Facebook event Users who have used Facebook Payments Users who have spent more than average on Facebook Payments Users who administer a Facebook page Users who have recently uploaded photos to Facebook Internet browser Email service Early/late adopters of technology Expats (divided by what country they are from originally) Users who belong to a credit union, national bank or regional bank Users who invest (divided by investment type) Number of credit lines Users who are active credit card users Credit card type Users who have a debit card Users who carry a balance on their credit card Users who listen to the radio Preference in TV shows Users who use a mobile device (divided by what brand they use) Internet connection type Users who recently acquired a smartphone or tablet Users who access the Internet through a smartphone or tablet Users who use coupons Types of clothing user’s household buys Time of year user’s household shops most Users who are “heavy” buyers of beer, wine or spirits Users who buy groceries (and what kinds) Users who buy beauty products Users who buy allergy medications, cough/could medications, pain relief products, and over-the-counter meds Users who spend money on household products Users who spend money on products for kids or pets, and what kinds of pets Users whose household makes more purchases than is average Users who tend to shop online (or off) Types of restaurants user eats at Kinds of stores user shops at Users who are “receptive” to offers from companies offering online auto insurance, higher education or mortgages, and prepaid debit cards/satellite TV Length of time user has lived in house Users who are likely to move soon Users who are interested in the Olympics, fall football, cricket or Ramadan Users who travel frequently, for work or pleasure Users who commute to work Types of vacations user tends to go on Users who recently returned from a trip Users who recently used a travel app Users who participate in a timeshare

This is just a preview of the huge data profiles Facebook keeps about internet users. It is this data that allows them to offer very specifically targeted ads, and charge more for them. Advertising revenue accounted for nearly $40 billion of Facebook’s total revenue.

Perhaps more concerning than the information Facebook tracks about its users, is the amount of data they keep of people without Facebook accounts. Every website that has Facebook share or like buttons is handing information over to Facebook. While users of the service are required to opt-in to the tracking, non-users are tracked without their consent. This is why the social media giant is under-fire right now.