Facebook has been a regular part of many people's lives for years. But, a few years ago a lawsuit exposing that Facebook was illegally intruding on our privacy made people take another look at what we share online. It was later found that Facebook was not hacked but in fact gave Cambridge Analytica access to its data. Cambridge Analytica later used this information to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Although users consent to the use of their data for "academic purposes" when they create their account this case raised questions for many people involved. First, users of Facebook and other social media sites realized that they need to be more careful about what they share online because it is not private and it is very important to reach the consent when signing up for a website. More importantly, Facebook faced major backlash because although they do allow certain groups to have access to their data, Cambridge Analytica was breaking their rule of no selling or transferring the data. Cambridge Analytica was a data firm, that was hired to obtain people's information from Facebook in order to skew the political campaign. This information included private messages, posts, and information on individual profiles including friend lists of over 87 million people.
Facebook was required to disclose how the user's data is being used, and how it was misused. I believe that this lawsuit opened the doors to many conversations about data rights and what our digital footprint is being used for. Next time you send a message, sign up for a site, or write an email, just remember that your digital footprint is bigger than you think and advertising companies are using that information to influence your decisions.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/19/technology/facebook-cambridge-analytica-explained.html
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-testifies-before-us-congress-highlights/articleshow/63704337.cms
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/23/17151916/facebook-cambridge-analytica-trump-diagram
http://www.laloyolan.com/news/facebook-s-cambridge-analytica-data-scandal/article_702b3c7a-f972-539c-a7f8-f202fd478634.html
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