The first victim in Australia to have her private details sold to a third party by Facebook has been revealed and described her ‘shock’ at finding out it had happened.
Dominique Maber, 24, from Sydney, discovered her personal information had been passed on to a company in the UK after Facebook sent a her a message on Friday.
Ms Maber, an up-and-coming DJ artist who performs as DJ Lionette, was appalled after realising the data could be used to find uncover her shopping trends and where she lives.
Dominique Maber, 24, revealed as the first victim in Australia to have her private details sold to a third party by Facebook
Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has been grilled by US Congress this week over the data breach to a UK-based research company in 2014
‘I didn’t want to give this information away. I didn’t sign up for this,’ she told NewsCorp.
It comes as Facebook founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, was forced to admit the company sold user’s personal data to UK-firm Cambridge Analytica.
There are thought to be around 300,000 Australians who have had private data including location, political views, religion, messages through Facebook’s private messaging system and even telephone numbers sold off by the social network, NewsCorp reports.
The firm which bought the data was thought to have used the information to allegedly sway voters through targeted and selected messaging and advertising during the US elections in 2016.
Ms Maber, who performs as DJ Lionette, described she was in shock after finding out about having her data included in the sell-off by the social network
‘I didn’t want to give this information away. I didn’t sign up for this,’ she said in an interview with NewsCorp on Saturday
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is investigating how Facebook collects data including the use of selling it to third parties
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is investigating how Facebook collects data after a public consultation ended earlier in April.
It is expected to release a report on its findings in December and provide recommendations about the social network’s future in Australia.
Ms Maber claimed the message which initially warned about about her information being sold has since disappeared.
The ACCC report is due in December and could provide recommendations about Facebook’s future operation in Australia (pictured Dominique Maber)
Ms Maber says she is now considering how to secure her account or delete it which she says could affect her work as a DJ to promote gigs and interact with fans
Ms Maber now admits posting ‘every part’ of her life after signing up in its early days was ‘really silly and naive’
She is now considering how to secure her account or delete it which she says could affect her work as a DJ to promote gigs and interact with fans.
‘I’ve had Facebook since I was really young — since it started — so there is so much of my life on there,’ she said.
Ms Maber now admits posting ‘every part’ of her life was ‘really silly and naive’ in light of the way Facebook is now known to operate to drive revenue.
But she still says she is unclear about how her details came to be included in the batch of data sold to a third party.
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg was grilled for almost 11 hours by 100 lawmakers in Capitol Hill (pictured)
Zuckerberg this week faced questions from US congress in Washington DC where he admitted the data had been sold to the British company.
He admitted his own data had been gathered as part of the breach in 2014 and apologised to the thousands of users affected.
The Facebook chief was grilled for almost 11 hours by 100 lawmakers in Capitol Hill.
During his testimony, Zuckerberg admitted it was ‘a big mistake’ for Facebook to act over its responsibilities.
He told the Congress hearing: ‘It was my mistake and I’m sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I’m responsible for what happens here.’
Facebook, based in Menlo Park, California, uses data gathered from its 1.4 billion daily active users worldwide as a basis for algorithms which link advertising and other materials to a person’s online profile.
It can collect data on every element of your digital identity on the network, from your search and Messenger chat history to photos you’ve uploaded and files sent across its servers.
Facebook also makes use of social media plug-ins and cookies – tracking devices that follow a user’s internet activity – to collect data via third-party websites.
Every time you like or share Facebook content or visit sites with Facebook ads and trackers you are being watched, even if you aren’t signed in, or have an account.