Here’s how to download your Facebook data

Facebook has been in the hot seat lately after reports of how user data was collected and used by a political firm hired by the Trump Campaign. 

The news has led many to start rethinking how they use the social network and its use of their data.  

There have also been reports that Facebook has collected SMS data and call history from Android phones. 

If you want to get an overview of what data Facebook has that belongs to you, then you’re in luck. 

When you go to your settings on Facebook at the bottom of the General Settings page there’s a link that allows you to download your data.  

Click on that link, and then follow the prompts to start your archive. It’s an interesting look to see what data Facebook has.  

Facebook has a breakdown of the obvious things like your photos, messages sent through the social media network and posts. 

But it’s also interesting to see what Facebook remembers like a list of your previous relationships you’ve made “Facebook official,” and a list of removed friends.   

You’ll also be able to see, for those who may have opted-in, that Facebook has downloaded your contacts from your cellphone.  

When you open the HTML Index file in the downloaded folder from Facebook, you can see a full list of your phone contacts. This list seems to cross reference these numbers with your friends as it includes emails and phone numbers.  

For those who have been on Facebook for a long time, it might be a cringe-worthy walk down memory lane as you read all of your Facebook posts you’ve made on your timeline. But this is also an easy way to grab a copy of the photos you’ve uploaded to Facebook as well.