Most Facebook users know that the social network knows a lot of information about them, but most don't know what that information includes.
Some of the information is obvious, like the things they post online or information you've added to your profile.
But others, like your interests, IP addresses, facial recognition data, or photo metadata, are not so obvious or are not accessible at all from your profile.
So if you want to know what Facebook about you, you can request a copy of your data from the social network to analyze it on your computer.
The copy of course does not include everything, but it does include enough that you will find interesting.
Download your personal file from Facebook
The first thing you need to do is request Facebook to create your personal file:
Log in to Facebook, if you're not already logged in.
Click the arrow icon in the top right corner and select settings from the menu.
Under General Account Settings, click “Download a copy of your data from Facebook.”
Click Download File on the next page and enter your password for verification.
Immediately after your request, you will receive an e-mail from the social network stating:
| You recently requested a copy of your Facebook data. We will send you a separate email with a link to download the file when it is ready. For security reasons, this link will only be active for a few days from the date it is sent. So please check your email regularly to make sure you receive our message. If the link no longer works when you read the email, you will need to start the download process over again. |
| Learn what data may be included in the download: https://www.facebook.com/help/405183566203254 |
| If you didn't request to download your information, your account may have been compromised. Visit the Help Center to secure it: https://www.facebook.com/help/203305893040179 |
| Thank you, The Facebook Team |
Facebook creates your archive in the background. Depending on how much you've posted, the process may take a while.
Once your file is complete and ready to download, you will receive another email that will take you to a page where you can download your file. You will again be asked for your account password.
Analyze the file
Extract the contents of the zip file to your computer and open the index.htm file with your preferred web browser.
It is a basic HTML file that does not require an Internet connection. You will find the pages listed on the left side and the information from the selected page on the right.
Some of the entries you may find interesting:
Ads Topic and History: This page displays your interests – based on your likes – and your ad history, which lists the ads you’ve clicked on.
Security: - lists an extensive log of your account and activity. For each session, the date, time, IP address, browser, and cookies are included. In addition, all IP addresses used to log in to Facebook are listed on the page.
Messages: All messages you’ve received and sent on Facebook
Friends – A list of all your Facebook friends
Photos and Videos: All media you’ve uploaded to Facebook, including private and metadata.
Contact: Includes your address, the email you’ve linked to your account, phone numbers, your address book, and the name you use on the social network.
Also included: Religious and political views, languages spoken, publications, and what you shared from your friends' publications.
As you can see, all the information listed above is not accessible directly on Facebook. The archive is the only way to access this data.
