This is what Facebook, Amazon and Apple know about you

This is what Facebook, Amazon and Apple know about youThis is what Facebook, Amazon and Apple know about youWhile youre checking your Facebook notifications on your Apple iPhone during an episode ofBlack Mirror on Netflixand Googling when the next season begins before buying a new phone case on Amazon, these five tech companies are collecting all of your personal data.In 2018, numerous data breaches opened our eyes to just how much of our personal information is really out there on the internet. But its hard to know exactly what Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google really know about us when there are so many layers to each one of them. Collectively, these companies are known as FAANG and they know mora about you than you think they do. And the sad thing is that even though theyre collecting our personal data every day, its hard to imagine a life without them. So in order to better protect yourself from data breaches, heres what these five companies know about you and how you c an manage it.FacebookAfterFacebooks Cambridge Analytica scandal, the social media site made a few changes to what users can and cannot do on the platform. Now, you can access and download all of your personal information and activity on Facebook. This includes yourPersonal information that youve uploaded to your profile like your name, email address, phone number, etc.Posts, photos, videos, comments, likes, reactions and pokesFriends, followers and followingsMessages, groups, events and pagesMarketplace activity and payment historySaved items and places youve createdApps and websites with Facebook login enabledAds, search and drehort historyCalls and messagesSecurity and login informationPersonal devices (think IP addresses), operating systems, WiFi and battery lifeLife stage categorization, face recognition and address booksTo find this information, go to your Facebook settings and click Your Facebook Information. Here, you can access, download, manage and delete your account and i nformation. Depending on your privacy settings, some of this information may be blank while others might include years worth of data. You can read all about what Facebook collects on the companysData Privacy page.AmazonAs you might expect, Amazon has a lot of info on what youve purchased over the years. It also collects your browsing history (which you can delete and turn off), recommendations that it has for you based on what it thinks you like and more. Amazon also tracks yourAddresses that youve sent products toWish lists of products and watch lists of movies and showsAny and all eBooksEvery song youve played on Amazon Music everPictures and other files you may have stored on Amazon DriveApplications you may have downloaded from the Amazon store like Alexa, all of which have your information (location, name, wireless network and more) stored, as wellAd settings (personalized or not you can turn this off, too)All devices youve accessed Amazon on (you can de-register from old devic es you no longer use)Both current and expired credit or debit cards youve linked to your Amazon accountAny saved WiFi passwordsHistory of everything youve ever asked your Amazon Echo if you have oneAmazon also collects anything and everything that you may have provided it over the years, like your name, email address, zip code, phone number, drivers license, social security number and more. It automatically knows your time zone, browser, device type, operating system, cookies, length of visits and a few more technical, behavioral data points.All of your information may be shared with affiliated businesses, too, such as parties that operate an Amazon.com store or sell products through Amazon. Some of your information may also be provided to Amazon partners like when products are delivered, or it may be used in partnership with promotional offers. You can manage your privacy and communication settings in your settings and preferences.You can read about everything that Amazon collects from you onits Privacy Notice page.AppleIt shouldnt be a surprise, but Apple tracks a decent amount of your data. The good nachrichten is that much of the data it does keep track of is behavioral, like app purchases and software updates.If youre thinking ofgetting a new iPhone, first know what personal information Apple collectsApple IDDate of birthSharing of content with friends and family who also have Apple devices and productsCredit requestsCustomer support queriesRepairsSurvey participationProduct purchases and serial numbersApple forum activityAll Apple stores (iTunes, iBooks, etc.) and iCloud tafelgeschirrs activityApple says that it also collects non-personal information, which includes yourOccupationLanguageZip codeUnique device identifier (like IP address)Referrer URLLocationAnd time zoneThe company says it uses this information to provide a better experience for customers. Some data is transferred to other parties, too, such as your cell phone carrier (Verizon, ATT, etc.) or app developers who want to improve their apps, but Apple will always get your explicit consent first.When it comes to your personal information like your health and fitness, payment options, browsing history, CarPlay and more, Apple saysmuch of it is encrypted, and you may be asked to review a privacy policy before electing to share any of this data with other apps and third-parties of your choosing.Apple customers can request a copy of the information that the company tracks viaApples Privacy Enquiries page.NetflixIf youre a Netflix customer, then you probably know that it tracks your viewing trends so that it can suggest new shows and movies that you might like. However, it also collects a lot of your personal information, which you may give to Netflix, plus some that is collected automatically. This includes yourName, email address and phone numberAddress and zip codePayment methodsNetflix activityInteractions with customer serviceInteractions with marketing onlineDevice IDs (like IP address), software characteristics, product types, advertising identifiers and other unique identifiersInformation collected via cookies and internet advertisingInformation from other sources like service providers and government databasesNetflix says it uses this information to provide a better customer experience, including the identification of potentially illegal activities like fraud. It shares some of this info with service providers, promotional partners and law enforcement (upon request), and you may be asked to give explicit consent.You can request a copy of your personal information that Netflix collects by emailingprivacynetflix.com, and you can learn more viathe Privacy Statement on its website. You can manage your privacy settings in your Netflix account on the website as well.GoogleWhile Google collects a lot of your information through your Gmail account, it also ensures that you control what it does and doesnt collect. On itsPrivacy Page, Google explains tha t it collects information, such as yourLanguage preferencesName and email addressPhone number and payment pieces of informationContent you create in its apps, like emails, photos, spreadsheets, documents, etc.Browser type and settingsDevice type and settingsMobile phone carrier and settingsIP addressSearches and activity on Google, Chrome, YouTube and other Google-owned apps and websitesLocation, WiFi and cookie dataData from other public sources, such as if your name is in a newspaper articleGoogle says it uses all of this information to provide a better user experience. One thing that Google offers that these other tech companies dont is thePrivacy Checkup featurewhere users can answer a few questions and get recommendations on how they can update their individual privacy settings. You can alsomanage your ad settings, youractivitythats saved to your Google account, yourpersonal informationthats shared with others across Google services, shared endorsements and the information you choose to share via Google+ (does anyone even use that anymore?).The only time Google shares this information is when you give consent, domain administrators (like your company, if they use a Gmail for work emails) or service providers need it or if law enforcement requests it. Google encrypts all of your data when its in transit, too, so that its sent safely. Like Facebook, Google allows you toexport and download your personal data. You can alsodeletea lot of your Google information. For even more information, check outGoogles Privacy site.Be mindful of what information you share with companies, especially on the internet. Protecting your privacy now can help prevent fraud, data breaches and more in the future.Thispostwas originally published onSwirled.comin the Thrive section, which covers valuable career and personal finance content for Millennials.