Facebook is able to collect data from people who are not registered on the social network. The news was confirmed by Mark Zuckerberg, last Wednesday (11), during the hearing in the United States Congress. The company obtains browsing records through cookies in the browser files that can track users' access to the web.
The company defends itself by saying that it does not use the information for advertising. According to Facebook, the data is only for internal study, that is, without passing on to third parties.
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In response to Congressman Ben Lujn, Zuckerberg claims that the screening of people without a profile on the social network is done for security reasons. It has not yet been clear, however, how the company uses the information obtained.
Facebook collects data through cookies installed on websites, using the sharing and likes tools. Even without clicking on these buttons, the page loading can still send information such as browsing history and e-mail to the social network. It is worth remembering that cookies are generally used to track users for advertising purposes.
Facebook registers information even from those who are registered Photo: Luciana Maline / dnetc
The revelation of Mark Zuckerberg has caused Facebook to receive harsh criticisms from entities that defend the right to privacy. That's because there is no way to find out what the social network knows about an unregistered person. During the hearing, the CEO stated that the company does not expect to create a tool of its own.
In addition, there is also no simple way to prevent websites from sending information to Facebook. Cookies must be deleted manually, in the settings of each browser always when connecting to the Internet. It is important to highlight that the procedure also excludes browsing data from other sites, and not only those registered by the social network.
In a Reuteus statement, Facebook says that "this type of data collection is fundamental to the functioning of the Internet". The case is another spark in the midst of the turbulence experienced by the social network in recent days, after the release of Cambridge Analytica. Records of more than 87 million profiles were improperly collected by the political marketing company. Most US users, but there are also cases in Brazil. According to Facebook, information from 450 thousand Brazilians was obtained.
