The Facebook privacy scandal has users demanding to see how much the social media giant knows about them and how they can limit the amount of data they're giving out.
The bad news is that your data may already be out in the wild and in the hands of third party advertisers. The good news is that you can download a copy of your data and prevent its future spread in just a few clicks.
Download a copy of your Facebook data
1. Go to your Facebook homepage and click "Settings" from the top-right drop down menu.
2. Scroll to the bottom and select "Download a copy of your Facebook data."
3. The site will take a short while to make a file of all your data. Wait a few minutes and then the site will notify you in the platform and via email that your data is ready.
4. Click "Download archive."
5. Enter your password.
6. Save it to your desktop.
Stop apps from sharing your data
1. Go to your Facebook homepage and click "settings" from the top-right drop down menu.
2. Click "Apps.”
3. You'll see a screen with four boxes. Under "Apps, Websites, Plugins," click "Edit.”
4. Click "Disable platform."
This will stop you from logging in to websites using just your Facebook credentials and you may have to create new accounts or log in another way.
Limit what data apps can share
1. Go to your Facebook homepage and click "Settings" from the top-right drop down menu.
2. Click "Apps."
3. You'll see a screen with four boxes.
4. Under "Apps others use," click "Edit."
5. De-select every button for every bit of personal information you're not comfortable sharing with data marketers.
