Running head: THE WORKINGS OF FACEBOOK USER DATA COLLECTION 1

The Workings of Facebook User Data

Collection on a Fake Account

Juno Kim

Henry M. Gunn High School

Author Note

Juno Kim, Advanced Western Culture, Henry M. Gunn High School

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Juno Kim, Advance Western

Culture, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto, CA 94306

Contact: ​[email protected]
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Abstract

This research paper delves into the realm of online data collection. A study was conducted in

which a fake Facebook account was made using as little real information as possible when

signing up. Then, it was used as a normal Facebook account and was observed to see if Facebook

had any real information. This real information would be noted, as it meant that Facebook knew

real information when it was not provided with it. The real information that Facebook has on the

fake account will show the extent of Facebook’s user data collection. If it goes too far, it could

potentially be seen as a violation of user privacy. This study examines the extent of Facebook’s

user data collection process when used on a fake account.

The Workings of Facebook User Data

Collection on a Fake Account

Over several years, Facebook has been bombarded with accusations of data scandals, and

mismanagement of data. This resulted in Mark Zuckerburg going to court, and a vast amount of

articles being written on the subject. It has also affected millions of Facebook users by targeting

them with specific ads designed to change their perspective on a topic.

Method

For my study, I created a false Facebook account and tried to enter as little real

information about me as possible when signing up. Then, I exposed all of my fake information

and observed what types of responses I got. For instance, I put a post with my fake email address

on it. My hypothesis was that Facebook would collect some of my personal data such as my IP

address and location, automatically, but would not be able to get tangible data such as my real

age, or pictures of me.

Definition of Terms
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In order to delve deeper into this topic, certain terms must be defined. In this case, user

data is seen as any information on users that can be used to influence them. Violation of users’

privacy is the exploitation or exposure of any private data. Normal Facebook users are users of

the social media platforms that do not have their privacy as their main concern. In other words,

they simply use Facebook mainly for socializing, rather than experimenting with it.

Limitations of the Study

In this study, there were several limitations. One major limitation was that I didn’t know

what Facebook had on me. Giving out my fake info and hiding my real info does not give me

tangible results unless Facebook asks me about it or shows me that it has my real data. Another

limitation was the time constraint for this project. Within one month, my research had to prove

conclusively that Facebook had collected data on my fake account.

Impact of the Study

This research can have major implications for normal Facebook users. On the fake

account, I am purposely hiding my information from Facebook, limiting the amount of data it

collects on me. Therefore, if Facebook collects personal data on my fake account, it will show

that they have even more data on the majority of their users.

Background Information

Facebook has had several controversial records of insufficient user data privacy

measures. At the root of these problems is the mismanagement of user data and violation of user

privacy.

Cambridge Analytica Scandal. ​The Cambridge Analytica Scandal revolved around the

data stolen by CA. The method used was releasing third party apps that could connect to
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Facebook. Aleksandr “Kogan built a Facebook app that was a quiz. It not only collected data

from people who took the quiz, but… it exposed a loophole in Facebook API that allowed it to

collect data from the Facebook friends of the quiz takers as well.”(Chang, 2018). Cambridge

Analytica used Kogan’s method to collect the data of millions of users, building profiles of each

person based on the data gathered. Then, it would target specific people with specific ads

designed to change their perspective.

Facebook Data Sharing​. Facebook has been known to share user data without consent

and has had many problems besides the Cambridge Analytica Scandal. Facebook “had special

arrangements with more than 150 companies to share its members’ personal data … Apple

devices could access the contact[s] … of users even if they had disabled all sharing in their

Facebook settings. Moreover, it said Apple’s devices did not need to alert users to the fact they

were seeking data from Facebook… Netflix, Spotify and the Royal Bank of Canada were able to

read, write and delete users’ private messages and see all participants on a chat thread...”(British

Broadcasting Corporation[BBC], 2018).

Results

The results are screenshots of notable items that I encountered during the study. They

show that Facebook has real information on me that I had not explicitly given them.
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Friend Suggestions

One surprising revelation was the friend suggestions. From the first moment, Facebook

somehow thought that I was related to these users. All of these people are people that go to

Gunn, and that I know. Also, my real profile shows up as suggested for my fake one, indicating

that Facebook knows we are related.

Location

Next, I went back to my profile when

prompted to complete a questionnaire about me.

Facebook asked me for my city of residence after I

said that I lived in Texas. However, they

suggested cities in California, indicating that

they know I live somewhere in California.

Facebook most likely tracked my location through my IP address. The fact that Palo Alto, a

relatively small and specific city shows up means Facebook correlated me with a specific
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location. Facebook also included San Francisco as a choice, which is a large location that is

relatively close to my real location.

External Sites

Facebook has several policies in place that do not let malicious activities happen directly

on Facebook. However, it can act as a passageway to an external site on which these activities

can happen. These external sites could be anonymous chatting apps, less secure apps, or potential

viruses.

Malicious Groups. ​I explored Facebook and looked for malicious groups. I eventually

ran into a wannabe hacker group, and they mostly consisted of bad grammar and simple ideas

with not many realistic methods. However, many of the posts direct users to external 3rd party

sites such as Telegram, an encrypted chatting application. Using these external sites, they can

attract Facebook users and potentially steal their data.

Services. ​Many third-party apps use Facebook as a method to login or create an account

for their services and products. In this screenshot, Spotify is asking for my name, profile picture,

and friends list, birthday and email address. While this information may not be used for harmful

purposes, it can be manipulated, such as spamming your email address, access your friends, and

more.
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User Reactions

Facebook logs all of your likes and reactions and comments to certain posts. “​A few

dozen “likes” can ​give a ​strong prediction of which party a user will vote for​,​ reveal their gender

and whether their partner is likely to be a man or woman, provide powerful clues about whether

their parents stayed together throughout their childhood and predict their vulnerability to

substance abuse. And it can do all this without a need for delving into personal messages, posts,

status updates, photos or all the other information Facebook holds.​” (Cadwallr & Harrison, 2018)

Analysis

The screenshots require a thorough analysis because it is a prediction of what Facebook

knows. Facebook does not show what data it has collected, meaning it is hard to know what

records Facebook has on a user. Each of these screenshots offers a glimpse into what Facebook

is suggesting it knows. They also reveal the grouping process, in which Facebook groups similar

thinking and behaving users for eventual targeting.

Friend Suggestions
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From the screenshot of my friend suggestions, I gleaned that Facebook somehow knew

most of the members of my community. I know all of the people on the list personally, and this

is not from my phone, because I don’t have all of their contacts. They even included my real

Facebook profile, showing that they thought we knew each other. Facebook builds these

complex webs and can group users based on these.

Location

Another factor in this grouping process is your location. Facebook asked me multiple

times for my location in various ways. One way was the city, another was the state, and also my

school/job. In all of these, I attempted to convince Facebook that I was a normal facebook user

living in Texas. As seen in elections, the location of a citizen influences their thinking and

beliefs. For example, California is a democratic state, while Texas is quite republican. By

narrowing down a user’s location, Facebook can guess your ideology.

User reactions

Yet another way that Facebook groups users is by observing their reactions to certain

posts. When a user likes or comments on posts, the action is logged and taken into account. For

example, liking several republic posts would result in Facebook classifying me as a supporter of

the Republic Party.

External Sites

Finally, third-party apps can manipulate Facebook by offering it as a signup option. This

is quite common, allowing people to conveniently make an account on a website using their

Facebook account. It is much quicker than making a separate account and lets you access your
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information easily. However, the external service/product can access much of your data from

Facebook and manipulate said data.

Conclusions

The study has produced results showing Facebook closely monitors each user. It can

track many aspects and factors of their lives, and potentially manipulate this information.

Connection to Literature

The research shows many parallels to ​1984.​ ​1984​ details the responses that can stem from

data exploitation. The Inner Party constantly monitors its citizens with Telescreens, searching for

thought criminals. Facebook takes a similar approach to categorizing its users by collecting user

data with Likes, Comments, Followers, and more. It can then exploit this data by selling to

companies such as Cambridge Analytica in the Trump campaign.

Just like Facebook logs the actions of its users, the Inner Party monitors the actions of

Oceanian citizens. In ​1984,​ telescreens are used to track every movement of the people, and the

Thought Police arrest at any hint of rebellion. For instance, “By sitting in the alcove, and keeping

well back, Winston was able to remain outside the range of the telescreen … he was about to …

open a diary … if detected it … would be punished by death… ”(Orwell, 1949). In this situation,

Winston is forced to be extremely cautious about writing down his thoughts by the telescreen. It

is established that the Inner Party will severely punish even thinking privately, and they will

examine every citizen’s actions. Facebook parallels the Inner Party by carefully watching its

users and recording their actions. While the Inner Party may have a much more severe

consequence, Facebook still shadows these actions by violating user privacy.

Reflection
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Facebook has shown that it collected some of my personal information. This was

displayed in the friend suggestion list and location. My friend suggestion list data could have

been gathered through my location. Facebook could assume that people from the same location

must know each other. However, their results were uncanny, and I knew each of the people they

recommended. My location was most likely taken through my IP address. This is very hard to

prevent, so Facebook will most likely have everyone’s locations. Facebook has collected my

personal information, when I used a fake account, meaning it can collect

Suggestions

On Facebook, make sure to not give out more information than you need to. Using

Facebook as a normal social media platform by liking and commenting is ok, but know that

everything is tracked. When “Privately Messaging” someone, don’t give out information. Also,

don’t go to external sites and signup/login using Facebook, as this will give the site more data on

you. Instead, make a separate account on the site, and only give the information that you want

them to have.
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References

Cadwalladr, C., & Graham-Harrison, E. (2018, March 17). How Cambridge Analytica turned

Facebook 'likes' into a lucrative political tool. ​The Guardian​. Retrieved from

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/17/facebook-cambridge-analytica-ko

gan-data-algorithm

Chang, A. (2018, May 2). The Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal, explained with a

simple diagram. Retrieved October 31, 2019, from

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/23/17151916/facebook-cambridge-anal

ytica-trump-diagram

Facebook's data-sharing deals exposed. (2018, December 19). Retrieved October 31, 2019, from

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-46618582

Orwell, G. (1949). ​1984​. Harvill Secker.