Introduction
Our digital world is constantly evolving, with technological advancements shaping our daily lives. Among these developments, Meta emerges as a major player. An important report published by Consumer Reports reveals an intriguing fact: more than 2,200 companies share your personal information with Meta. Let’s delve into the details.
Consumer Reports Analysis
Consumer Reports conducted a comprehensive analysis using 709 volunteer accounts to examine the data sent to Meta from third parties. The results were staggering, with the research uncovering 186,000 companies sending data about the research sample to Meta. It’s worth noting that the average reached 2,230 companies per individual, and in some cases, the number reached 7,000 companies per person.
Entities Participating in Data Sharing
It turns out that the main entities sending user data are data brokerage companies, in addition to the Facebook Pixel tool, a Meta-developed script found on most websites and internet applications. This code is used to analyze activities on the site or application and assists in advertising campaigns on Facebook and Instagram.
The Problem and Solution
The problem lies in the fact that almost every website and application sends virtually every action you take to Meta, even if you don’t directly use its products. The effective solution lies in using privacy-focused browsers like Brave, or you can utilize browser extensions like Privacy Badger to achieve the same purpose.
Conclusion
With the increasing advancement of information technology, protecting our privacy becomes a necessity. We must be cautious and take appropriate security measures to safeguard our personal data in an era of rapid technological advancement.
