Apple slaps Facebook with iOS 12 “anti-Facebook” measures
Apple’s privacy controls just got a big boost with iOS 12.
SAN JOSE, CA - JUNE 04: Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering Craig Federighi speaks during the 2018 Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) at the San Jose Convention Center on June 4, 2018 in San Jose, California. Apple CEO Tim Cook
If you didn’t know about Facebook’s data mining practices, have a seat. Facebook tracks you around the web even when you’re logged out of it. It does this through a creepy little thing called Facebook Pixel, which is a transparent pixel that sits on web pages and reports back to Facebook which sites you’ve been to. On one hand, it’s a marketing person’s dream: you have unparalleled knowledge of your customers. For everyone else, it’s creepy. It bypasses traditional website cookies, so even if you have your browser privacy settings like Fort Knox there’s still plenty of ways for Facebook to know where you’ve been browsing. And since the Pixel is transparent, there’s very little way for you to know that you’re being tracked.
With Apple’s upcoming iOS 12, they plan to stop the tracking by notifying users about Facebook’s privacy overreach as it happens, in real time. A pop up will appear asking if you want Facebook to track you. One can imagine that this will be a full-blown option in the near future, after people a) realize how many sites are tracking them and b) get tired of constantly being asked if they want to be tracked. For too long we’ve allowed this to happen, and, quite frankly, it’s good that Apple is doing something about it.
If you’re still interested in knowing just how much Facebook knows about you, The Washington Post compiled a 98-point list of the categories that Facebook’s advertising overreach can put you in, based on the websites you visit and what you share on the site, and your “liking” history:
Location
Age
Generation
Gender
Language
Education level
Field of study
School
Ethnic affinity
Income and net worth
Homeownership 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 investor (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/cold 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
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