Social media apps can pierce your privacy

If you use Instagram, know that what you do is not private. Not just what you might post on Instagram, but actually where you spend, how you spend, what you buy. In the Journal Science there’s a report where it was very, very easy for people who do data mining to take your Instagram profile and build where you shop, how much you spent in that store, when you were there, what items you bought.

The reality, the apps that you use on your phone pierce your privacy. The more you transact on any app the greater likelihood some marketer somewhere is going to be building a dossier on you. You may not care, you may say, ‘Hey my life’s an open book.’ But if your life is not an open book and you use a lot of social media, know that your privacy is absolutely not being respected. One thing you can do, pay cash everywhere or don’t use social media. I’m Clark Howard.