The issue of privacy in social networks and messengers is becoming more acute every year. Vkontakte has the largest database of personal data of users in Russia and neighboring countries, and recently the social network allows everyone to get acquainted with the amount of compromising evidence accumulated on it.
What information does Vkontakte collect about users?
Absolutely everything it can from a technical point of view. All your personal correspondence, photos, comments, likes, reposts, calls to the technical support service, payments and much more are recorded and saved. Vkontakte has data about all the gadgets from which you logged into your account, the operating systems of these devices, browsers, language, location, session time, IP address, etc. When you use your Vkontakte account for authorization on third-party resources, this is also recorded as well as your actions on behalf of your profile on any websites.
If you used your iPhone's camera to download a Vkontakte video or a phone book for a call, Vkontakte will henceforth have access to your camera, microphone, and contact list. This and other data will be stored as long as necessary, even if you completely delete your account from the social network. According to the law, this is at least another six months and then, for example, by court order.
It is important to understand that there is no mystery, malicious intent and Masonic conspiracy in this, you "merge" all of the above data into the Network absolutely voluntarily, realizing the likelihood of access to them by third parties.
What can Vkontakte do with your data?
Absolutely everything that is not prohibited by law. Vkontakte can store, process, use any personal data, and in some cases provided for by law, transfer it to third parties. Performing any actions after authorizing Vkontakte and entering any information about yourself, you should be aware that you are adding several new entries to the "personal file" stored in the Vkontakte archive. Moreover, you may even be not involved in this - for example, your friend, allowing the social network application to access his phone book, automatically provides Vkontakte with information about your contact information.
How to download all your data from Vkontakte
If you want to learn more about the dossier accumulated on you, then Vkontakte has recently kindly provided you with such an opportunity. It is enough to go from the required account to this page and at the very bottom click the "Request archive" button and enter the password for the account, after which an SMS with a one-time code will be sent to the phone number linked to the profile.
For some time, Vkontakte will prepare the dossier and check the validity of the request, then it will be possible to get the required information in a convenient ZIP archive. If desired, the data can also be additionally protected with an OpenPGP key.
See also:
- VK Messenger: Vkontakte (VK) program for Windows, Mac, Linux.
- Free Google Sightseeing Tours: How to Build Sightseeing Routes in an Unfamiliar City.
- How to add a voice alert when iPhone or iPad is charging.
