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Here’s How Facebook Categorizes You to Advertisers

From your relationship status to the racial group you have an ‘affinity’ toward, here’s what the social giant thinks it knows about you.

Facebook may be a lot more aware of who you are and what you like than you think. Or at least, it tries be.

The tech giant tracks what we say and click on and categorizes these preferences into very specific groups that help Facebook determine what types of ads to show you.

In the weeks following reports of a massive breach of Facebook user info by Trump-aligned data company Cambridge Analytica, CEO Mark Zuckerberg is in the midst of proving the social platform’s trustworthiness with its users. These ad categories are another hilarious—or creepy, depending on your perspective—reminder of just how much data Facebook has on us all.

If you want to see what kind of data Facebook keeps on you for ad purposes, go to Facebook Settings > Ads > Your Information > Your Categories.

We asked Daily Beast followers on social platforms to share with us screenshots of how Facebook has categorized them. While most profiles are seemingly straightforward, others are quite, well, specific.

Here are a few examples of the categories Facebook created for users below.

Facebook guesses your assumed political party

The friends’ birthdays you have coming up, based on gender

Your marital status

Facebook guesses whether you have kids

If you live away from home

The ethnicity you have an “affinity” toward

Your relationship status

And more.

What picture has Facebook painted about you? Tweet us your results, tagging @thedailybeast.

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Mandy Velez

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