Facebook users do not have to wait to be notified that their data was shared with Cambridge Analytica - a tool on the social network enables users to quickly find out for themselves.

The social media giant has started to roll out alerts to users, but the process is expected to take several days to complete.

However, users can confirm for themselves if their personal information was harvested by the political research firm by visiting the Facebook Help Centre.

Here's how to access it:

• Having ensured you're logged into Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/help.

• In the search bar at the top of the screen, enter the word 'cambridge'.

• Select the top search result, which is entitled 'How can I tell if my information was shared with Cambridge Analytica?'.

• On the page that loads, a box entitled 'Was my information shared?' will appear. This will confirm whether or not your personal data was accessed by the firm, and will detail what information the company may have obtained.

• The page also contains a link to user Facebook settings, where users can review and update the information they share with apps and websites linked to Facebook.