Facebook clarifies how it collects data when you're logged out
San Francisco, April 17: After Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in front of the US Congress last week, the company on Tuesday tried to clarify on questions how it collects data when people are not directly using the website or app.
Many websites and apps use Facebook services to make their content and ads more engaging and relevant.
"Apps and websites that use our services, such as the Like button or Facebook Analytics, send us information to make their content and ads better," David Baser, Product Management Director at Facebook, wrote in a blog post.
In return for that information, Facebook helps those websites serve up relevant ads or receive analytics that help them understand how people use their services.
"When you visit a site or app that uses our services, we receive information even if you're logged out or don't have a Facebook account. This is because other apps and sites don't know who is using Facebook," Baser added.
Many companies offer these types of services and, like Facebook, they also get information from the apps and sites that use them.
"Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn all have similar Like and Share buttons to help people share things on their services. Google has a popular analytics service. And Amazon, Google and Twitter all offer login features," Facebook said.
These companies -- and many others -- also offer advertising services.
When you visit a website, your browser (for example Chrome, Safari or Firefox) sends a request to the site's server.
The browser shares your IP address so the website knows where on the Internet to send the site content.
The website also gets information about the browser and operating system (for example Android or Windows) you're using because not all browsers and devices support the same features.
"It also gets cookies, which are identifiers that websites use to know if you've visited before. This can help with things like saving items in your shopping cart," Facebook explained.
"So when a website uses one of our services, your browser sends the same kind of information to Facebook as the website receives. We also get information about which website or app you're using, which is necessary to know when to provide our tools," Baser noted.
There are three main ways in which Facebook uses the information it gets from other websites and apps.
"Providing our services to these sites or apps; improving safety and security on Facebook; and enhancing our own products and services," Baser said.
"We also use the information we receive from websites and apps to help protect the security of Facebook. For example, receiving data about the sites a particular browser has visited can help us identify bad actors," he posted.
Zuckerberg, appearing before the US Congress last week, told the lawmakers that his own personal data was part of 87 million users' that was "improperly shared" with British political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica.
"We don't sell the data. We use the data that people put into the system in order to make them more relevant. I believe people own their content," he told the US Congress.
Facebook is embroiled in a widening scandal that a British data firm called Cambridge Analytica improperly gathered detailed information on its 87 million users.
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UK PM Keir Starmer takes ‘China matters’ message on first Beijing visit
London (PTI): “Like it or not, China matters to the UK,” is the message British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is taking on his visit to Beijing on Wednesday, accompanied by a 60-strong business and cultural delegation.
Downing Street said the visit, which will also cover Shanghai, reflects the UK’s “clear-eyed and realistic” approach to China in terms of opportunities and challenges they pose by continuing to pursue cooperation while “maintaining guardrails” when it comes to the country’s national security.
The Labour Party government is keen to highlight its re-engagement with China with this first visit in eight years, coming close on the heels of a ministerial go-ahead for its controversial new “mega embassy” in London.
“For years, our approach to China has been dogged by inconsistency – blowing hot and cold, from Golden Age to Ice Age. But like it or not, China matters for the UK,” Starmer said in a pre-visit statement.
“As one of the world’s biggest economic players, a strategic and consistent relationship with them is firmly in our national interest. That does not mean turning a blind eye to the challenges they pose – but engaging even where we disagree.
“This is what our allies do, and what I will do: delivering for the public, putting more money in their pockets and keeping them safe through pragmatic, consistent cooperation abroad,” he said.
The UK PM is set to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Thursday for talks on trade, investment and national security, before travelling to Shanghai for a range of engagements with British and Chinese businesses.
Accompanied by a delegation of leading UK-based businesses, including Tata Motors owned Jaguar Land Rover, sporting institutions, museums and theatre groups, Starmer is expected to push for access in areas such as the financial services sector, creative industries and life sciences.
“However, he will be clear that we will not trade economic cooperation for our national security. He will raise the areas where we disagree with China – being clear that we will always defend our national security and where viewpoints differ, frank and open dialogue is of vital importance,” Downing Street said.
Describing China as the world’s second largest economy, a crucial player in global supply chains and a growing military power, the UK said it is important to engage with its third-largest trading partner which supports 3,70,000 British jobs.
“We want to see trade flourish between us. From financial services to advanced manufacturing and the global energy transition, the UK’s strengths increasingly align with the rapidly evolving Chinese economy,” said Peter Kyle, the Business and Trade Secretary travelling with Starmer.
“The first duty of government is security, and we protect ourselves best through active engagement and pragmatic cooperation, not by shutting the door,” he said.
The visit follows the 2025 Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) that the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT) claimed secured 600 million pounds in immediate benefits and the first UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETCO) since 2018.
“The UK’s world-leading financial services sector is a cornerstone of our economy. With deep and liquid markets, and the FTSE hitting all-time highs, there are real opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation with China which supports jobs for working people and growth for businesses across Britain,” said Lucy Rigby, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, also part of the ministerial delegation.
The Opposition Conservatives have criticised Starmer’s approach to China, amid human rights concerns and espionage fears. “Starmer has already surrendered to the Chinese Communist Party over their plan for a spy-hub super embassy in the heart of our capital,” said shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel.
“The evidence is overwhelming that China poses a serious threat to our national security and it is clear Starmer is going to China without any leverage. He lacks the backbone to stand up for Britain and is bending over backwards to appease Beijing,” she said.
Following his trip to China, Starmer is set to travel to Tokyo to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to reinforce the UK-Japan partnership, said to be worth over 100 billion pounds and supporting 2,00,000 UK jobs.
