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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Gadag murders: Accused paid 'supari' to kill brother, parents over property, says police
Gadag (PTI): Police here on Monday claimed to have cracked the murder of four persons with the arrest of a gang including the kingpin, who wanted his brother and parents dead over a suspected property dispute and hired the assailants for cash to eliminate them.
The arrested included members of the 'supari' (contract) gang that was hired by Vinayak Bakale, who paid Rs 65 lakh to kill his brother Kartik and parents-- Prakash Bakale and Sunanda Bakale.
Prakash and Sunanda are local BJP functionaries, with the latter being the vice-president of Gadag-Betageri City Municipal Council.
However, the plot went awry and Vinayak's parents survived. Karthik and the family’s close relatives were hacked to death in the early hours of April 19.
Karthik (27), Parashuram Hadimani (55), Lakshmi Hadimani (45) and Akanksha Hadimani (16) were found murdered at Dasara Oni in Gadag.
Police sources said Karthik's marriage had been fixed, which the Hadimanis had come to attend.
Since jewellery, valuables and cash were intact in the house, it was suspected that the motive was not robbery but something else, police sources said.
They said that a property dispute among the siblings was suspected to be the reason behind the murder as Prakash was to give all his wealth to Karthik, which irked Vinayak. Subsequently, he allegedly decided to wipe out his parents and brother.
On Monday, Inspector General of Police (North Zone) Vikash Kumar Vikash told reporters that they had arrested Vinayak Prakash Bakale (35), Fairoz Khazi (29), Jishan Khazi (24), all from Gadag; twin brothers Sahil Ashfaq Khazi (19), Sohail Ashfaq Khazi (19), Sultan Jilani Sheikh (23), Mahesh Jagannath Salunke (21) and Waheed Liyaqat Bepari (21), all from Miraj in Sangli district of Maharashtra.
Vinayak had given a Rs 65 lakh contract to Fairoz, who arranged vehicles and weapons and carried out surveillance, Kumar said.
The assailants broke into the house thinking only three people were present, the IGP said, adding that the targets were Vinayak’s parents and brother.
The agreement between Vinayak and the gang was that the proceeds of the loot after killing the trio would belong to the contract killers.
"Vinayak gave the contract to eliminate his parents and brother Karthik. Fairoz organised the entire gang. It was a short term plan. But as Prakash Bakale raised an alarm, the panicked assailants fled the spot. Otherwise he also was a target," Vikash said.
He said that four of the accused were caught in Miraj while others were nabbed in Gadag.
The police officer said Vinayak tried to escape when he was caught.
