If the advertisements on your Facebook newsfeed appear remarkably relevant, it's because the social network giant knows you very well. Facebook amassed an estimated $39.9 billion in ad revenue in 2017 by mining its vast troves of data on 2.2 billion users and then selling targeted information to advertisers that they use to sell you products and services based on your personal tastes.

There are also more sinister ways companies use your information. Researcher Michal Kosinski devised a model that analysed a user's Facebook "likes" to predict information such as ethnicity, sexual orientation, and political beliefs to both create and locate personal psychological profiles.

A similar strategy of data analysis may have helped Donald Trump reach the White House.

Cambridge Analytica harvested data from an estimated 87 million Facebook users and used the information to send them targeted campaign ads that appealed to their personal needs and desires. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was called to testify before Congress about the breach.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange called Facebook "the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented," in an interview with Russian news site RT.

"Here we have the world's most comprehensive database about people, their relationships, their names, their addresses, their locations and the communications with each other, their relatives, all sitting within the United States, all accessible to U.S. intelligence," claimed Assange.

"Every time you go to a party and take a picture and post that picture to Facebook, you're being a rat," he added at a book launch in 2014.

But even his organisation can't resist joining the mischief. Wikileaks has its own Facebook page with more than 3.5 million followers.

Facebook collects a disturbingly detailed dataset of its users and it hasn't always been transparent about exactly how it's usetool

1. Facebook unveils 'Clear History' tool.

The backlash over the Cambridge Analytica data leak scandal has been the biggest threat to Facebook's future since the company was founded.

The #deletefacebook movement has thus far failed to put a dent in revenues, but the social network has already launched new tools and policies to limit the damage.

At Facebook's annual F8 developer conference, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced plans to build a new tool called "Clear History" that he said would make it easier for users to control and clear their browsing history.

"This feature will enable you to see the websites and apps that send us information when you use them, delete this information from your account, and turn off our ability to store it associated with your account going forward," Facebook's VP and Chief Privacy Officer Erin Egan explained in a statement.

Egan added that the tool would take a few months to build and that Facebook planned to take more steps to improve data procollection.

2. Zuckerberg reveals more companies may have been sold the data bought by Cambridge Analytica but dismisses calls from Congress to limit data collection.

At a hearing on Capitol Hill in April 2018 called to address the Cambridge Analytica data breach, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that "a handful" of firms were sold the same data harvested through a personality quiz.

The 33-year-old dismissed the conspiracy theory that Facebook listens in on private conversations by mining audio from smartphone microphones, but refused to commit to reducing data collection.

Congressman Frank Pallone called his stance disappointing, to which Zuckerberg replied that data collection was "a complex issue that deserves more than a one-word answer".

On Monday 9 April Facebook began to alert the 87 million users it estimates had their data shared with Cambridge Analytica.

Those affected will receive a message on their news feed that tells them if they or their friends used Facebook to log into This Is Your Digital Life, the app that harvested data and sold it Cambridge Analytica.

All 2.2 billion Facebook users will receive a notice titled "Protecting Your Information", which contains information on all the apps they use and the information they've shared.

The announcements were made the day before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appears before Congress to answer questions about the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

4. Is Facebook's VPN gathering psychological data?

Facebook's Onavo VPN could be collecting psychological profiles and detailed about personal preferences of tens of millions of its users through a feature called HotKnot, according to a VPN comparison site, VPNspecial. This tool could potentially enable tracking of purchases completed with Android devices that have the HotKnot mobile payments chip, the company claimed.

The news was reported by VPNSpecial, site whose staff discovered that Onavo contained traces of the HotKnot library while preparing their review.

HotKnot is typically used to exchange data by touching two compatible devices against each other, but can also be used to make a payment.

Integrating HotKnoT with its VPN could allow Facebook to learn the shopping habits of its users, and combine this with their geolocation to develop a detailed understanding of their psychological profiles and personal preferences.

The app's description states that it collects data to improve Facebook and Onavo, which arguably somewhat defeats the purpose of a VPtext

5. Facebook knows who you phone and text.

Facebook collects and stores years of detailed calls logs and text message metadata from Android devices.

The news emerged after Facebook users who had been unsettled by the Cambridge Analytica scandal decided to download their Facebook data to find out what the social media company knew about them.

They discovered that the social network had records going back to 2015 of their calls that included dates, call durations and the names and numbers of the recipients. Tech site Ars Tecnica published their accounts and contacted Facebook to find out what was going on.

Facebook responded with a blog post that denied any wrongdoing. The company claims it logs this data only after users give their explicit consent through an opt-in feature for Messenger or Facebook Lite on Android. The statement said this helps users find and stay connected with people that they know and improves the experience across Facebook.

It added that while it collects information including when a call or text was made or received, it does not collect the content of this communication or sell any of the data to third parties. Users can turn this feature off in their Facebook settbelieve.

6. Facebook knows what you believe.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal has shone a light on the value of Facebook data about your political beliefs.

The British analytics firm gathered personal information on millions of Facebook users to predict how they would vote and target them with personalised political ads.

This could have helped swing the outcome of the US 2016 presidential election and the UK Brexit referendum.

Cambridge Analytica harvested their data from a personality test designed by a British academic called Aleksandr Kogan. Facebook claims that Kogan violated its policies by passing the information to Cambridge Analytica, but the social network also has other ways to work out what you believe.

If you state your political preference, express a political leaning or like a page associated that is associated with one, Facebook can use the information to predict your political views.

The company doesn't only need direct evidence of what you believe. If you like pages viewed as typical of a certain position, Facebook can assume that you share those views. Liking Exxon, for example, may indicate you're more likely to be conservative.

Facebook combines these details with demographic information in order to categorise users as liberal, conservative or moderate. The information is then anonymised and sold to campaign managers and advertisersare.

7. Facebook know about who you, your family and your friends are.

The basis of your Facebook profile is your on-site behaviour, covering the profile information you provide, the advertisements you click on, the events you create and attend, the items you like and the information you post.

This behaviour helps the company guess your age, gender, language and educational level, the electronic device you use and how you connect to the Internet.

Your posts and profile provide the foundation for your Facebook data footprint, but the company compiles a vast array of information from other sources to add personal details far beyond those you knowingly upload.

Your online behaviour and information from third-party sources are mixed in to tell Facebook about your job, whether you're married, engaged or soon celebrating an event, and whether you're a parent or expecting to be one soon.

It also knows who else is in your family, how far away they live and their coming anniversaries, and who your friends are and which of them is likely in a new relationship or home, or will soon be celebrating a birthhabits.

8. Facebook know about your finances and spending habits.

Facebook pays data brokers such as Experian for extra information they've compiled over years gathering data from government records, surveys and commercial sources such as magazine subscription lists. This can tell them where you shop, what you buy, and whether you own a car.

It also helps Facebook guess the value, size, composition and type of property you live in, and when that property was built.

Facebook not only knows what you have but also what you want, by understanding your tastes and when you will likely be looking to upgrade something.

Your financial information is also up for grabs. Facebook can predict what you invest in, whether you have a credit card and if it's in debit, your income and net worth, and if you are a member of a credit union, national bank or regional banused.

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Internet is the monster humans are yet to understand