Want to know what Facebook knows about you? Here's how to download a copy

By Todd Haselton
By CNBC -December 31, 2018

Facebook knows an awful lot about you. In my research digging into what Facebook knows about me, I’ve found that it has a copy of every comment I’ve ever posted, every message I’ve sent, anything I’ve ever searched for, a log of exactly where and when I logged into my account and much more. It’s an astounding amount of data.

There’s good reason to worry about your private information being left in the company’s hands. Facebook hasn’t managed to keep its user’s info secure. A security breach just last month, for example, exposed the private information of 30 million accounts. Of those 30 million, hackers gained access to 14 million accounts’ phone numbers, email addresses, gender, relationship statuses, recent check-ins and more.

Since I last reported on the topic in May, Facebook has made it easier for users to get a copy of their data. And lots of people seem to be doing so. Recode reported this week that users are experiencing delays while requesting their data, since so many people are asking for it at once. It suggests that people want to know what Facebook has, and that they may want to download all of that data before they delete their accounts.

Here’s how to download a copy of everything Facebook knows about you: