This Man Tried To Sell His Facebook Data On eBay

It is no secret that companies such as Facebook and Google collect data on users in order to create ads that are catered towards a user’s preference. While it is no secret, Facebook’s recent data privacy scandal shone more light on exactly how much data the social network and advertisers have of users.

So much so that writer and developer Oli Frost decided that hey, if Facebook is making money off his data, why shouldn’t he as well., right? Frost then decided to export his data using Facebook’s data export tool and put up his information on eBay where he basically auctioned off his information.

Speaking to Gizmodo, Frost said, “I joined Facebook ten years ago and just found out I’ve been selling me data for free all this time. Why shouldn’t I get some of the cash?” However the money he would have made from the sale was not for profit and he was planning on donating it to the EFF.

Unfortunately for Frost, eBay did not look upon his auction too kindly and removed it. According to the message that he was sent, “Some of your listings haven’t followed our Mailing List and Personal Information policy. Your listing is selling an account for Facebook, which is not permitted as most social networking companies have limitations in their terms of service that restrict the artificial boosting of another member’s following or popularity, or the sale of accounts with established followings.”

Tyler Lee
Categories: General
Tags: ebay, Facebook, Privacy