FACEBOOK UNDER FIRE FOR MASSIVE SECURITY BREACH OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
FaceBook isUnder Fire for a Massive Security Breach of Your Personal Information!
Mark Zuckerberg, C.E.O., and creator of Facebook acknowledges that in 2015 there was a massive security breach of over 50 million user's personal information on its platform.
The breach occurred through a 3rd party app called "This Is Your Digital Life." The app was built by Cambridge University Alexsandr Kogan in collaboration with Cambridge Analytica.
The app was used to collect personal information from users. Many users were paid money to take surveys which included taking a personality test and providing personal information about their family and friends.
The collected data was then used to create software that predicted user behavior so it could influence voters based on their behavior patterns.
Zuckerberg allows Facebook developers to collect information from users as long as users are aware of how developer apps will utilize their information.
Yet, Zuckerberg conveys that developers who sale user information to 3rd parties are in direct violation of its platform usage and developer policies.
Zuckerberg repels the words "security breach" and argues that there is some ambiguity concerning what actually happened. He conveys that people willingly gave their information to the app, but the real issue lies with how that information was used.
Kogan violated Facebook's terms, conditions, and developer policies because he sold the personal data collected through his app to Cambridge Analytica and possibly other data firms.
Zuckerberg acknowledges that he dropped the ball on ensuring that app developers do not abuse the data they collect on his platform.
In a public apology, he states that "[he] did not do enough to prevent these tools from being used for harm (. . .). Zuckerberg said, " and that goes for fake news, foreign interference in the elections, and hate speech as well as developers and data privacy."
It is clear that Mark Zuckerberg is a young and intelligent pioneer in technology. He is an intricate part of the digital era in which we live. It's obvious that he is extremely passionate about his work and that he deeply cares about the users on his platform.
However, he wouldn't be a serious entrepreneur if he didn't use the information on the platform that he has created for profit.
Yet, it's clear that when profits conflict with ethics and good moral standards, or when Zuckerberg's primary objective for Facebook which is "to help people stay connected and to give people the power to build communities and bring the world closer together," is threatened, he has no problem addressing those issues and collaborating with his team to find solutions.
Zuckerberg is a highly intelligent man. Yet, the idea of liberating people on his platform has been his biggest flaw.
In a way, he has trusted others to take responsibility for their own actions and to be responsible for how they develop their products, voice their opinions, and use data.
The "powers that be" have found this expressive and creative freedom somewhat troubling and a bit unsafe. While some of them have legitimate concerns, others have used this problem as an opportunity to insult Zuckerburg's intelligence, push their own personal agenda, or to get their hands on his billion dollar fortune.
Zuckerburg is guilty of one BIG thing and that's trusting others to be responsible for what they do on his platform.
Contrary to popular belief, he did not collaborate with the Trump administration to sway the election. A developer who created an app on Facebook violated the terms and conditions of Facebook by creating an app that collected user information that was sold and used in the Trump campaign.
Zuckerburg acknowledges that this is a huge problem and how he plans to prevent that problem in the future. In addition to banning those who misuse the information they collect from Facebook, Zuckerburg has taken other actions to keep users information safe.
He has hired a team of analysts to analyze all apps that collect large amounts of data on his platform. He has developed user-friendly controls so that user can control what they share, what they see, and how developers use their information through apps. He has also agreed to revamp his policies and maybe his business model to protect the users of Facebook.
In a nutshell, we can thank some manipulative developers and a huge group of "Free" Facebook users who willingly gave up their information but now want to sue Facebook for how their information was used, for some hefty restrictions on the once "freedom platform" called FaceBook.
Ultimately, Zuckerburg is responsible for what takes place on Facebook. Truthfully, whatever changes he makes will reflect that huge responsibility to ensure that the security issues that have happened in the past do not repeat in the future.
About the Author
Tdaviscole is an Online Business Strategist who appreciates's Mark Zuckerburg's technological contributions to society and his willingness to allow everyday people to leverage his platform to stay connected to loved ones, build global relationships, cultivate entrepreneurship, and to develop into world leaders.
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