Are you using Facebook because it is free?
How much are you paying to use Facebook each month? “Haha Mark, trick question,” you may say. “It’s free. I am paying nothing.” I beg to differ.
Tell Facebook you went to Michigan State and you will get ads for a Michigan State University-branded MasterCard.
You are paying with your personal information. Let me introduce Tanya, one of my fellow Michigan State University alums. I found her on Facebook. I sent a friend request and she accepted within 24 hours. We both told Facebook we graduated Michigan State University. On the UP side, sharing that information helped us connect. On the DOWN side, we shared information Facebook monetizes.
Highly targeted and branded MasterCard
We both checked Facebook one day and saw ads for a Michigan State University branded MasterCard. The advertisers created the MSU branding and then purchased (or leased) a list of Facebook subscribers who listed Michigan State University as their alma mater. The advertisers also could have asked for graduation dates between 1985 and 2000. I qualify. They know. Tanya and I both volunteered that information.
How come Tanya and I are upset at Facebook for selling our personal information and in turn getting rather specific ads for an MSU-branded MasterCard? The close rate must be higher than for a generic MasterCard. I’m sure the advertisers had a rewarding ROI. We volunteered information that helped them target us.
Some folks are now complaining. They tell Facebook where they went to school, where they live and where they work. That information is sold to advertisers who seek a target audience with those criteria. Some complain. In response, let me ask:
- How do you expect Facebook Corporation to keep the lights on if they offer free memberships?
- Where will they get the money?
- What information do they have that they can monetize?
- How do you justify your privacy complaints if you volunteer information?
- How do you protect your personal information while at the same time volunteer that information to help find people, places and activities you may find interesting?
Surrender privacy
I argue we surrender our privacy. That’s why I titled this section “Surrender Media” in https://howhackshappen.com. As soon as we volunteer information to a free service like Facebook, we surrender. As soon as we apply for a car loan, student loan or mortgage, we surrender. The information we surrender (I mean, share), helps us qualify for that loan. It also helps others add us to a group of their potential target market.
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Content from How Hacks Happen and how to protect yourself. Visit https://howhackshappen.com and view three chapters online for FREE today or visit https://www.amazon.com/How-Hacks-Happen-protect-yourself/dp/0983576920/. By Mark Anthony Germanos, of https://cybersafetynet.net/about-cyber-safety-net/.