Data leak of Facebook users by Third Parties and How to Prevent Data from Them
By Niranjan Kumar Das – MCIS-III, NCIT
🔍 Introduction
In recent years, Facebook has been at the center of major data privacy controversies. One of the most alarming incidents was when over 540 million Facebook user records were leaked by third-party developers. Stored in unsecured Amazon S3 buckets, this data included sensitive information like names, likes, and even passwords in some cases.
This blog will break down how these leaks happen, what major scandals like Cambridge Analytica taught us, and—most importantly—how you can protect your personal data on Facebook.
🧠 Why and How Facebook Data Leaks Happen
Here are the main reasons Facebook data can end up in the wrong hands:
1. 😓 Data Leaked by Mistake
- Users accidentally post sensitive info.
- Publicly uploading private documents.
- Sharing internal information publicly on profiles.
2. 🕵️♂️ Victims of Cybercrime
- Around 40% of social media users have fallen victim to some form of cybercrime.
- Hacked accounts due to weak or reused passwords.
3. 🏢 Organizational Failures
- Fake Facebook pages or apps.
- Phishing websites disguised as Facebook services.
4. 📉 Third-Party App Access Gone Wrong
Apps like "ThisIsYourDigitalLife" collected data not only from users who installed them—but also from their friends! This led to Cambridge Analytica harvesting data from 50 million users to influence political campaigns like Trump’s election and Brexit.
🔐 How to Protect Your Data on Facebook
Here’s a step-by-step guide to protect your data from third-party apps:
✅ Step 1: Review Third-Party App Access
- Go to Settings on Facebook.
- Click Apps and Websites.
- Under “Apps, Websites and Plugins”, click Edit and Disable Platform if you want total privacy.
- Be aware: Disabling this might log you out of other services like Spotify or Instagram.
✅ Step 2: Control What Others Share About You
- In the same Apps and Websites section, look for Apps Others Use.
- Click Edit.
- Uncheck all boxes to prevent apps used by friends from accessing your data.
- Click Save.
🔒 Pro Tip: Regularly remove any apps you no longer use.
📌 Conclusion
Your data privacy is in your hands. While Facebook has made some improvements since the Cambridge Analytica scandal, it's still critical that users understand how their information is shared—and take the right steps to control it.
By following the above guide, you can significantly reduce the risk of being caught in a data breach.
🙏 Acknowledgement
Special thanks to Mr. Madan Kadaria for the opportunity to explore this topic in-depth.
