Which Celebrity do you look like? Who is in your fast and furious team? Which Nationality do you look like? Be Like Bill,… So many quizzes and games, and my Facebook news feed is inundated, daily, by friends taking one quiz or another. These Apps look simple and there appears to be no harm in playing… or is there?
I’m frequently super-tempted to click on a link, see what is involved and post my exciting results to the world – It is Facebook after all… why else do we spend endless hours glued to our devices if not to have loads of fun and share our fun-times with friends :).
Reading this, there is a 95% chance that you are nodding your head in agreement as you’ve probably taken one of those quizzes in the last week, maybe even two or three 🙂 .
Are Apps really that bad?
Now what if I told you there was much more to these quizzes than just a bit of mindless fun. What if I told you that you could unknowingly be providing loads of your personal information to these Apps; and not only your personal information but also that of your ‘338 Facebook friends‘ (according to ThinkBig).
Many of these quizzes and games request access to your Facebook Profile, Friend Lists, Email Address and Timeline Posts. Of course you think it’s cool that the App tells you ‘Who your 5 best Facebook friends are’ or ‘What your 5 most liked Facebook photos are’. What you do not notice is the fine print, which usually includes the right to pass your information on to third-party advertisers, as that big shiny Call-To-Action (CTA) screams at you to “Play Now”, “Play Now”.
Winding down after a stressful day at work, you may not be thinking beyond the next 5 seconds of ‘Fun‘, but within those few seconds, not only could you unknowingly allow third-party access to your personal information, you could also allow access to the personal information of your friends as well. You have basically traded your Facebook privacy for a couple of seconds of fun… No wonder you’re being bombarded with spam emails.
Take back Control: Tighten your Security
You can’t stop your friends from playing games or taking quizzes, on Facebook, (and of course you wouldn’t want to) but you can update your privacy settings to limit the information being accessed by theses Apps from your profile and possibly being sold on to multiple advertisers.
Update your Facebook Settings
Go to the drop-down button on your profile -> Settings -> Apps -> Here you can change what information is made available when you or your friends allow Apps to access your information.
You will also find the list of apps you’ve allowed to access your profile and can remove those, which you no longer use. Removing an App is fine but note that some Apps may still retain the data you previously shared with it, even after deletion. It is, therefore, best to ensure that your settings limit the information shared when signing on to use any App.
Read Apps Privacy Policy
Loads of apps utilize ‘Facebook Login’ and, although, this is generally a safer and more secure option, it is in your best interest not to make too much personal information accessible unless you are happy with the App’s terms and conditions of use.
It might seem tedious (and it usually is) to review every App’s privacy policy to get an idea of how they intend to share your information with third-parties, but that is the best practice. For those short on time, updating your settings to limit the information available to Apps might be a preferred option.
Tell a Friend
Many of us consider ourselves web savvy and this information may not be new to us, however, for those of our friends who aren’t, and may need a little help ensuring that their data is not compromised, this may be somewhat useful.
Help a friend or family member, who’s drowning in quizzes and games, and share this today!!
