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Comment by MertsA | Hacker News Reader

Another fun one. Go into Facebook and download your data and look in the ads folder. There's a very helpful "advertisers_who_uploaded_a_contact_list_with_your_information.html" page that lists every advertiser who somehow obtained your contact data and ran targeted ads to you. There's a lot of sketchy companies out there who I never had any kind of relationship with who somehow managed to obtain email or other contact data. Bit of an enlightening experience as to just how widespread your personal data is being shared, even if you're somewhat careful of who you give your personal data to.

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The facebook dump also includes email addresses and phone numbers that you have deleted from your account. After I removed my contact information from my account, I was curious why advertisers were still able to target my account with these uploaded lists, so I guess that explains it.

Well that clearly sounds like it's not GDPR compliant, but Facebook might have a different policy for the EU.

Facebook is currently involved in multiple legal battles in Europe about the GDPR, including at least one where it's the instigator. Facebook has different views about what's allowed under the GDPR compared to the people in charge of enforcing the GDPR.

You can also find this without having to wait on the export: https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences/?section=audience_bas...

You can browse all the various data here: https://www.facebook.com/your_information/

This is the download page: https://www.facebook.com/dyi/

That first link isn't the same thing as what GP is saying, at all. That's just a list of advertisers for whom you have been caught in their advertising dragnet (eg you're in one of their targeted demographics).

How nice of them to make a button for me to clear my history.

Unfortunate that it pops up with a blank alert box, and then on clicking the button to proceed it informs me that it "Failed to clear history".

Apparently I'm doing something right because mine is empty.

"You have no available activity to show at this time."

Maybe because I've never had a habit of linking phone apps, web apps, etc to Facebook. I tend to keep different accounts completely isolated. Which is why Google really bugs me, I don't like that my YouTube, Gmail, etc are all the same account.

> Which is why Google really bugs me

You could probably try Firefox containers for that.

Multiple Google accounts is against ToS though afaik

Where in the ToS is it prohibited?

you're absolutely correct. its only against the tos to create another account if any of yours have been banned. Having multiple accounts is allowed for work/private purposes.

> Many people have more than one Google Account, like a personal account and a work account. Uses like that are fine.

> you're absolutely correct. its only against the tos to create another account if any of yours have been banned. Having multiple accounts is allowed for work/private purposes.

Huh. What happens if you already have multiple accounts, and one of them gets banned?

In this case nothing prevents Google from banning all other accounts. There have been quite a few related stories on HN. It's scary.

Good info.

Any organized efforts to export and donate data? Data is not data in some important senses unless it's aggregated. A "watch-them-watch-us" dynamic can't exist if one side is aggregated and the other isn't.

Mind linking a project if you find it? Currently working on a tool that needs text conversations for data training and would be happy to donate if we can use the data as well.

I've been watching that list for years. Oddly, a LOT of car lots are always on there. Someone must be making a killing selling them low quality leads.

Not only that - Facebook allows you to create "lookalike" audiences from e-mail lists. So as a marketer, if you can get your hands on a good e-mail list, you're golden.

Please add link

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