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| Cambridge Analytica used millions of Facebook user's data to build a network of information based on the 5 personality traits to potentially exploit partisan feelings among Americans. |
As many of you probably already know, millions of US citizens who have Facebook accounts were targeted with political messages from Cambridge Analytica during the 2016 election. Legal experts have pointed out that Facebook's users did not, arguably, have informed consent on the collection and forwarding of this data to Cambridge Analytica and therefore the firm itself might be in legal trouble in both the US and UK as a result.
However, another subject more pertinent but possibly less damaging than it may initially seem is the fact that Cambridge Analytica based its algorithm and manipulation scheme on the 'Big 5' personality traits it deducts from a one time search of one's Facebook friends, something that is quite permeable on a social media site and may not reflect one's authentic personality. Additionally, the data could be entirely unreliable according to a study on "targeted ads, based on personality, [sent] to more than 1.5 million people; the result was about 100 additional purchases of beauty products than had they advertised without targeting," (Link).
Although it seems Cambridge Analytica's methods seem to be of minimal effectiveness, do you believe that sites like Facebook should do more to guard user data?
Should the federal government step in to regulate big tech data? Why or why not?
7 comments:
I think the government should should step in to prevent data breaches by raising, or adding, security requirements for companies that have sensitive information. In this case with Facebook, I don't think the government can do anything because the way Cambridge Analytica gathered the information was not illegal, but in general there needs to be some reassurance to customers that their sensitive information will not be leaked, and government regulation is the quickest and easiest way.
I still believe that Facebook has demonstrated over and over again that they are not responsible and do not have their user's best interests in mind. However, I agree that tech companies aren't actually very good at learning about us from our data. A humorous example: There are so many times that I will buy a product online, and then start getting ads for that same product. I just bought it internet! Why are you so stupid!
So yeah, tech companies like Cambridge Analytica are invading their privacy, but I don't think they actually know as much about us as many think they do.
It is definitely important for social media sites like Facebook to guard user data. A lack of trust in the company would create a bad image and would hurt the company's efforts to improve. Since the scandal, the Facebook stock has dropped 6% emphasizing that companies need to ensure that users feel that their information is protected. Additionally, I think that tech companies should make it very clear what users are sharing with their company because situations like the one with Cambridge Analytica could have been avoided. While they do have information about Facebook users, it is hard to determine exactly what they have and what they will do with it.
I agree that the date from Cambridge Analytica is not super helpful or accurate, but that is not really the issue here. The issue that concerns me is the dissapperance of privacy. Social media has blurred the lines of public and private life. I don't like the idea of putting my whole life online where everyone can see it, and use the information there to manipulate me. I think that users take a risk when they use social media, but that risk can be minimized through government intervention and protection from data mining.
I think it's necessary for the UN or some other worldly power to set limits and regulations for the internet and media as w whole. Laws of the international internet need to be made in order to set a standard for how to deal with people abusing the internet and online resources, as Cambridge analytica did.
Though Michael is right in pointing out that the algorithms used to try and target users aren't really that effective and honestly, could be considered quite comical, the truth is that there needs to be a limit to the information that can be sold. Arguably, one may say that giving up privacy is perhaps written in the long "terms and conditions", that one has to agree to before signing up on one of these types of websites, but that's not enough. Every tech company ought to be quite clear about the information they are going to give away and allow each person to specifically sign off on whether or not they are okay with giving up their personal information.
Responding to Kalena above, I agree that ideally Facebook and other social media companies should feel some pressure to keep user data private but in relation to Cambridge Analytica, one can definitively say it was not against the law for them to gather this information as users themselves allowed this to happen. Since February 2, 2018, Facebook has lost $100 billion in market valuation and this response is an appropriate reaction to their lack of consideration for their users. When companies like Google are asked by sites for partial control over user accounts it is quite obvious as to what is being used and what is not. Although, Google is among the worst company violators of personal privacy at least they tell you what kind of data they are using without evading the question.
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