Whether you're someone who's been paranoid about online corporations and media sharing your information from day one of signing up, or someone who's recently been drowning in all the Cambridge Analytica news over the last couple'o months, then you're probably familiar with the idea of your online information being bought and sold.
While it's scary for some to think about their personal information, online habits, and details about their life being sold off to the highest bidder, others were kind of concerned with the fact that they weren't seeing a dime of it:
Afterall, it is your dang information being sold, right?
Meet writer Oli Frost, who decided he would use Facebook's very own eport tool to gather his info and sell if off to the highest bidder on eBay.
And it kind of worked (for a little while, anyways).
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? (Frost to Gizmodo)
Before his endeavour began, Frost had already decided not to pocket any of the cash he would get from selling his precious data. Instead he would donate the highest bid to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit that focuses on preserving online privacy.
There were over 40 bidders for Frost's data and the auction had spiked to almost $400, but it wasn't long until eBay shut down the entire thing.
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. Given that, eBay as a company has decided not to allow listings that would facilitate or promote this type of activity. While we appreciate that you have chosen to utilize our site, we must ask that you please not relist this type of service. (eBay to Frost)
All I can say is awesome job, Oli. Seriously. If I would have thought of it first, I would have tried, too…
What do you think?
Would you sell your Facebook information to the highest bidder? Or at least try?
Let me know what you think in the comments down below!
