Data that scared me.

"We exploited Facebook to harvest millions of people's profiles and built models to exploit what we knew about them and target their inner demons. That was the basis the entire company was built on," - An individual (everyone knows him now).

Yesterday, I had an interesting lecture about the role of big data in Strategic Information Systems course. I out of curiosity searched on google that how can I download my facebook data. When I found out I could download my entire Facebook data file, the first thing I felt was fear. How far does it go back? What does it contain? Who all has access to it? The idea popped into my head among mounting headlines around the alleged misuse of personal Facebook user data by analytics firm Cambridge Analytica. I wanted to know what, exactly, those potentially in possession of my data might know about me -- so, I downloaded it anyway. It was a 129 MB winrar file. I extracted the file and it had everything -- I mean, everything -- from personal contact records that I don't even have stored on my iPhone anymore, to every single image I had sent someone over Messenger. Things got weird, fast.

When you first download a copy of your data archive and extract the file, it looks something like this:

Open the general "index.htm," and you'll see a quick view of all the data available on you, ranging from your general profile to third parties who have your contact information. Here's what the "profile" section of mine looks like, with a few sections removed for the sake of -- in BOLD "privacy".

"IGNORE THE CREEPY PICTURE" :) Granted, what was available on this page was largely information I voluntarily supplied to Facebook by way of putting it on my profile, like where I went to school or my birthday.But it was in the other sections and file folders where things started to get weird -- and where I started wondering what potential advertisers or others might be doing with it. 

The 'Ads' Section

The "Ads" section of my data index file largely consists of an exhaustive list of ad topics that would be of interest to me. Some of them made sense, as they were brands whose Pages I already Liked.But some of the topics were downright irrelevant and, therefore, befuddling -- like "Contemporary R & B".

It raises questions about just how accessible this information is, and how widespread the availability of our data might be. While likely a bad actor, I'm inclined to believe that Cambridge Analytica isn't alone in the way it allegedly synthesized Facebook user data to get to the root of what sort of promoted content and messaging would resonate most with people.It's also unclear how to selectively remove that data, if at all -- which should be the valuable next step for Facebook.

Messenger Records

That became particularly salient when I discovered that my Facebook data includes a transcript of every Messenger interaction I've had, replete with any photo or video files I may have shared in those conversations. When I checked the conversations it was like someone opened the door to past.

Where We Head From Here

If nothing else, it seems that no one is quite sure how, exactly, personal Facebook user data is being leveraged, in whose possession it might be, and how much information those who have it might be secluded to. My guess is there are a ton of Cambridge Analyticas out there, and people would be horrified to realize how many companies are using their data to gently nudge their decision-making processes."This is why Facebook's own investigations might not be enough.After several days of silence on the initial Cambridge Analytica data misuse allegations, Zuckerberg finally issued a statement on the matter last Thursday and has been on an active interview and apology circuit since then. Case in point: Full-page ads in the editions of the New York Times, Washington Post was published with the title " We have a responsibility to protect your information. If we can't, we don't deserve it".

Zuckerberg says he's not entirely opposed to that outcome, saying in an interview with CNN last week that "I’m not sure we shouldn’t be regulated." But if that is the end result, Facebook likely won't be alone in facing that new level of oversight, as implied by the aforementioned invitation to appear before lawmakers alongside executives from Google and Twitter.