passage: ( Financial Times ) -- The increasing amount of personal information that can been gleaned by computer programs that track how people use Facebook has been revealed by an extensive academic study .
  Such programmes can discern undisclosed private information such as Facebook users ' sexuality , drug - use habits and even whether their parents separated when they were young , according to the study by Cambridge university academics .
  In one of the biggest studies of its kind , scientists from the university 's psychometrics team and a Microsoft - funded research centre analysed data from 58,000 Facebook users to predict traits and other information that were not provided in their profiles .
  The algorithms were 88 per cent accurate in predicting male sexual orientation , 95 per cent for race and 80 per cent for religion and political leanings .
  Personality types and emotional stability were also predicted with accuracy ranging from 62 - 75 per cent .
  Facebook declined to comment .
  The study highlights growing concerns about social networks and how data trails can be mined for sensitive information , even when people attempt to keep information about themselves private .
  Less than 5 per cent of users predicted to be gay , for example , were connected with explicitly gay groups .
  Michal Kosinksi , one of the report 's authors , told the Financial Times that the university 's techniques could easily be replicated by companies to infer personal attributes a person did not wish to share , such as sexual orientation or political views : " We used very simple and generic methods .
  Marketing companies and internet companies could spend much more time and resources , and hence get much higher accuracy than we did . "
  Last week , the EU agreed to water down proposals for a radical overhaul of data privacy regulation .
  The move reflects governments ' reluctance to impede internet businesses that might spur economic growth , and follows fierce lobbying from technology companies including Facebook and Google .
  Personal data has become big business .
  Wonga , the UK online lender , makes credit judgments within seconds based on thousands of pieces of information , including an applicant 's Facebook profile .
  Tesco , the supermarket chain , this month started to use its customers ' shopping histories to sell targeted online advertising .
  The report also revealed some unexpected correlations -- such as people who liked ' curly fries ' having higher IQs , while those who like Facebook 's " Sliding on Floors With Your Socks On " page were unlikely to use drugs .
query_and_answer: According to the study by Cambridge Academics how accurately were they able to predict sexuality ? || 5% accurate
evidences: Such programmes can discern undisclosed private information such as Facebook users ' sexuality , drug - use habits and even whether their parents separated when they were young , according to the study by Cambridge university academics . The algorithms were 88 per cent accurate in predicting male sexual orientation , 95 per cent for race and 80 per cent for religion and political leanings .