We’re all guilty of it; scrolling through our Facebook Newsfeeds at 4pm on a Friday, putting off that last task at work before the weekend begins. All of your friends are proudly posting the results from a quiz they just took- “I’m jelly, totally accurate.”, “Chocolate glazed, it’s like they know me!”, and in that moment you just have to know…. “What kind of doughnut am I?!”
While it may be tempting to know which delicious ring of fried dough best suits your personality, you should really think twice before finding out. It is through apps like this that companies like Cambridge Analytica are accessing your personal information. And guess what? You’re allowing them to do it.
Each time you elect to ‘Login with Facebook’ or allow a seemingly innocent quiz app access to your Facebook profile, you are agreeing to their terms and conditions, which most likely include the sharing of your personal information with third party companies that are going to use it for a variety of reasons, like advertising.
So the next time your Uncle Bob vows to abandon Facebook because his data is being stolen at the dinner table, kindly remind him that being a complainer does not match the personality traits of the sweet yet savory maple bacon doughnut he claims to be, and then educate him on how these things actually work.
By the way, I’m a strawberry frosted, and damn proud of it.
