SAN ANGELO, TX — Facebook rolled out its new privacy system for users to better control their privacy and security settings. The system doesn't change the privacy policy but it does allow users to change their settings all from one place.
"They're looking at what you're looking at,” said David Harvatin, director of technology for KIDY.
He says if Facebook users don't clear their "cache" or browsing data, apps like Facebook have access to all the sites they've visited.
"You again are giving them permission to go into your Facebook account, to look at your photos,” said Harvatin. “If it’s trying to doctor up a photo to say this is what you look like as a model in addition its pulling from your friends list and other data off your site."
For those wondering how Facebook gets all this extra information about you...
"When you set up your Facebook account there are terms and conditions that most people do not read,” said Harvatin.
It's all in the terms you agree to when you first log into Facebook.
Brenda: should people delete the Facebook app?
“I wouldn’t say delete it, some people are really social, but I would just say be careful of who you’re sharing with and how you want that information to get out," said Harvatin.
He says giving Facebook access to your personal information not only gives them access but it also opens the doorway for third party sites to see your information.
"Facebook about a year and a half ago expanded to the point that messenger can take over the text messages on your phone,” said Harvatin.
And by granting Facebook access, it can do things like track your location, track what stores you've shopped at, and segway into your friends information.
"Facebook gets access to that information based off of how you set up your profile, if you have everything open to the public then that's the way it stays until you change that,” said Harvatin.
He says the best remedy for this mega data breach is to set all your information to private on Facebook. And before that, jump onto the settings tab and unlink your contacts and any other access you've granted to the site.
CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg has since agreed to testify before congress on the data breach.
This news comes just days after shares of the social network giant tumble, costing Zuckerberg nearly $10 billion.