By: Natalia Kurkova
Most Facebook users have probably seen a status posted by a friend stating that they do not give Facebook permission to use their information and encouraging their friends to repost the status to maintain account privacy. This practice has gained popularity as more and more users become concerned with Facebook’s marketing practice of sharing user data with third parties.
There is no way around Facebook’s privacy policy, according to Los Angeles Times. The online news website suggests users get rid of their Facebook account in order to maintain online privacy. The multi-billion social media platform uses the data provided by people using their network to generate revenue.
Facebook remains to be the most popular social media platform regardless of the public criticism.
“By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms, Data Policy, and Cookies Policy. You may receive SMS Notifications from us and can opt-out any time” is the statement in finer print directly above the “Sign Up” button on facebook.com.
The purpose of collecting user data, the information that Facebook users provide when they create their accounts, is to ensure that users receive targeted advertising messages. Facebook does not necessarily need profile photos or user statuses. Facebook is interested in user profile information such as age, education, occupation, marital status, and location. This information is then used by advertisers to reach their target audience.
Facebook is constantly scrutinized for the practice of selling user information to various companies. Additionally, one of Facebook’s latest mishaps occurred when an app within the social media network illegally gained access to user data. In March of 2018, Facebook confessed that data was stolen from users who did not use the app. This may have been possible once the app gained access to the friends lists of the people who did use it. About 87 million Facebook accounts were affected by the breach of data. The user data was sold to Cambridge Analytica to create psychological reports of voters in the United States.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, and founder of Facebook, has been apologizing for his online platform since its foundation in 2004. At the initial stages of the social media’s development, users were automatically signed up for data disclosure, unless they opted out. It was an easy trap to fall into while people were still unfamiliar with all the obstacles that came with privacy disclosures.
Facebook remains to be the most popular social media platform regardless of the public criticism.
A year after the creation of the social media website, people began to question Zuckerberg of the ethical issues that came with the disclosure of people’s online information. Zuckerberg, in a public speech, reassured that Facebook users have control over their account privacy and that the account settings are clear and straightforward.
Further allegations towards Facebook’s data disclosure practices forced Zuckerberg to give more public apology speeches, reassuring users that the Facebook team is working on their mistakes.
In 2010, Zuckerberg spoke about the changes in public interests and online practices such as people wanting to share more and more information about themselves online. “And people have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information — and different kinds — but more openly with more people,” he said, in an attempt to justify Facebook’s actions.
Later that year, Zuckerburg also stated that no information will be shared without user permission. Regarding the fact that the public continuously criticizes Facebook for their practices, Zuckerberg stated: “We realize that people will probably criticize us for this for a long time, but we just believe that this is the right thing to do.”
After one of the latest privacy breach instances of 2018, Zuckerberg posted an apology statement of his Facebook page: “We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can’t then we don’t deserve to serve you.”
Dr. Marwan Omar, Associate professor of Information Security at Saint Leo University, who holds a doctorate in computer science, suggests that Facebook users check their privacy settings carefully. Dr. Omar, having a Facebook account, asserts that users do not need a degree in cybersecurity to decipher Facebook’s privacy policy. Dr. Omar said, “Facebook has grounds to collect information from users. Users without a security mindset, who are not careful about setting their privacy settings, however, fail to check the appropriate boxes. Facebook does warn users that they collect information for promotional or marketing purposes.” In addition, users need to “keep up with the privacy settings on social media since they are updated often.”
Regarding the fact that Facebook is constantly being accused by the public of misusing or even leaking private information, Dr. Omar said: “from their [Facebook’s] end, they are doing what they think is correct.” He encourages users to practice caution when posting personal information or photos on social media as outside individuals and companies have access to the content through the web. To prevent any involuntary disclosure of private information online, “users need to read and educate themselves regarding the privacy rules and make sure they understand the consequences of the ‘I agree’ or ‘I acknowledge’ buttons.”
One other recommendation by Dr. Omar was to visit the information security resource and training website, sans.org. Users can find information on cybersecurity and how to protect their online information. The website is a helpful tool in learning more about online privacy policies since “the digital world has become such a big part of our lives,” said Dr. Omar.
