How to download the data that Facebook has on you
INTERNATIONAL - Facebook knows a lot about you.
But it's only recently that its two billion-plus users have become interested in knowing just exactly how much data Facebook has collected on them.
It's difficult to uncover every piece of piece of your personal data that's trickled out to the internet and into the hands of advertisers.
Also read: Facebook logs ALL your phone calls and texts
However, the good news is that Facebook gives users the option to see most of the information that's been collected so far.
The social media giant continues to deal with the fallout from its massive data scandal, after it was revealed that 50 million members' data had been harvested without their knowledge.
Since then, many people have been waking up to the fact that user data collection is the backbone of Facebook.
Downloading your archived user data from Facebook may reveal a laundry list of eyebrow-raising data points, from your personal call records, to text messages, as well as your location each time you log into the site.
To download your data, first log in to your Facebook account.
In the right-hand corner of your News Feed, there should be an arrow that displays a dropdown menu.
From there, click on 'Settings' and click on 'Download a copy of your Facebook data' at the bottom of the screen.
That will take you to a new page, where you can click on 'Start My Archive' to get a copy of what you've shared on the site, as well as any personal data that's been collected.
Facebook may tell you to enter your password, as well as your email, so that it can notify you when your archive is ready for download.
It may take several minutes depending on how much data you have and how long you've been a Facebook user.
For example, if you've been a Facebook user for more than a decade, it could take up to 10 minutes for the company to send you your data.
Once you receive your files, the information is broken down into sections like contact info, text messages, Facebook messages, advertisers and more.
Have you read: Facebook boss Zuckerberg breaks his silence - but will it be enough?
Many users have been shocked to learn the lengths to which Facebook has gone to collect their personal data.
Facebook addressed the concerns on Sunday in a statement that some critics called 'tin-eared' due to its accusatory nature.