Mozilla, the organization behind the popular Firefox web browser, is conducting a study to analyze Facebook’s “tracking pixels” that track user actions across the internet. The “Facebook Pixel Hunt” aims to understand how Facebook pulls data about users from millions of websites that contain its tracking pixels even when they aren’t using the social media platform.
Gizmodo reports that researchers at Mozilla have announced the launch of its “Facebook Pixel Hunt” study which aims to analyze Facebook’s internet-wide tracking network that utilizes its “Facebook Pixel” tech to follow users and determine what they do even when not using the Facebook platform.
The study focuses on Facebook Pixel tech, which is a small pixel embedded in millions of websites across the internet that allows websites to track their visitors and target ads towards them.
Mark Zuckerberg and the Masters of the Universe also collects this data, and if the individual visiting a website featuring pixel tracking also has a Facebook account, this information is added to the details that Facebook has already collected on that user.
If the user doesn’t have a Facebook account, Facebook collects the information anyway and uses it to develop a “shadow profile” of that particular user.
Mozilla wants to investigate these practices and if you’re a Firefox user, you can help. Mozilla has created a browser extension in partnership with reporters from the Markup to collect details about Facebook’s tracking. The browser extension, called Mozilla Rally, will collect data sent out by Facebook’s pixels as you visit various websites.
The extension also tracks the time spent on different websites, the URLs that the browser visits, and more. Mozilla noted in its announcement that all data being exported from the extension will be anonymized and not shared with third parties aside from the Markup’s reporters.
Read more at Gizmodo here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com