By Facebook officials last week dismissed claims that it sells its users’ personal information to advertisers.This clarity comes amid unsubstantiated rumours that Mark Zuckerberg company’s side business feeds user information to hungry advertisers.
Addressing a Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe-Facebook workshop on Online Safety, the company’s continental Public Policy Manager Akua Gyekye made it crystal clear they do not peddle user information.
“And again just to clarify, we don’t sell data to anyone because if we think about it it really would put us at a disadvantage. This information we have, that we can aggregate and make it so that people can connect to you directly if you are an advertiser,” she affirmed.
However, the company’s might might be twisted in trying to assist budding businesses that want to grow.
“But what we do with our data is not in such a way they can contact you directly. Its anonymized to the fact that only if they find an interest about you as one of a lot of people but not you as an individuals,” she affirmed.
Adverts are somewhat irritating to see on Facebook moreso if they are constantly reappearing. But Gyekye said that these ads be maddening, Facebook users can remove them from the Newsfeed.
Facebook Home page
“You have a choice to see what you wanna see on our platform.
“So if there is an advertising that you don’t like click the three dots or the downward arrow on the side you can say I don’t wanna see that advert on the newsfeed,” she said adding, “So you have control over the kind of advertising that you wanna see over the news feed.”
As at June 2017, Facebook had over 2, 01 million monthly active users worldwide which translates to a 17 percent increase from the previous year.
Now that Facebook officials brought this advertising matter to the light, had it been true that they sell user information, advertisers would manipulate this phenomenal figure to their advantage. Facebook is too big to ignore.
Comments