Stop saying “Facebook data breach” or leak. There was no breach. No leak.
The user data in question was collected legally in accordance with Facebook policies and user settings. That the database was transferred to Cambridge Analytica was a mere developer agreement violation.
The user data in question was collected legally in accordance with Facebook policies and user settings. That the database was transferred to Cambridge Analytica was a mere developer agreement violation.
Facebook policies allow apps to collect massive amounts of data from your profile. Ostensibly that info is supposed to be used for providing you with a customized service… in reality that service usually ends up being tailored advertisements.
These apps don't just hoover up your data without your looking. After all, you have to to download the app and you have to give the app permission to access your profile. It tells you up front what data it wants access to, and you have to agree.
But what about your friends on Facebook? How did their info end up getting collected? That's down to your and your friends' settings. It's up to you how much visibility the outside world has into your profile and connections.
None of this excuses Facebook, Aleksandr Kogan (developer of the survey app), or Cambridge Analytica. That your data was readily available for exporting and exploiting should appall and anger you.
But this was not a breach or leak. It was an exploitation of Facebook's own rules.
But this was not a breach or leak. It was an exploitation of Facebook's own rules.
Take this opportunity to review all of the info you've put on Facebook. Is it pertinent to your activity of the social network? Which apps have you authorized to view your profile info? How public is your info? Are you doing enough to protect yourself?
Facebook does not care about you. It is a business, and they provide you with a free service — connecting you with friends — in exchange for your data so they can use it to sell ads targeted to you. Everything they do is towards that end: more of your time and data.
The same is true if any company built on a free service. Google, Twitter, Spotify, even free tax preparation services. If you aren't paying for the product, then you *are* the product and the real customer of whoever is buying your data or buying based on your data (advertisers).
That's how the modern web works. We, as a society, decided we'd rather have something for free in exchange for giving away information about ourselves.
You know the phrase "knowledge is power"? In the 21st century, data is power, and whoever controls it writes the rules.
You know the phrase "knowledge is power"? In the 21st century, data is power, and whoever controls it writes the rules.
Trump didn't run a sophisticated traditional campaign. His digital team understood the power of data — your data — unlike any prior campaign. And now he's President of the United States. Data is power.
Our devil's bargain for free communications and entertainment and financial services is being revealed and we're not ready for it. Our laws are not written to handle this, our tech companies did not design for worst-case scenarios, and we users have been blissfully ignorant.
Cambridge Analytica took advantage of the data we gave away because Facebook made it fun. They used that data to sway an election. And it was all legal.
This is the web we implicitly agreed to without understanding the trade-offs. It's mostly been okay before now. It never was.
This is the web we implicitly agreed to without understanding the trade-offs. It's mostly been okay before now. It never was.
Our society is built on trust, and when trust fails us we make laws. Well, we trusted Facebook and they gave away our data with the only safeguard being a basically unenforceable developer agreement. Guess what? Pieces of paper don't stop bad actors.
Our trust of Facebook was misplaced. Just as our trust of Google, Uber, Apple, Spotify, and Tesla has been misplaced. Well, not Uber, they've been pretty upfront about being scummy.
Even the most altruistic companies want your data. They might but sell it, but they will use it.
Even the most altruistic companies want your data. They might but sell it, but they will use it.
The moral of the story: don't trust to Facebook or any other company any data you wouldn't give to a complete stranger. Don't log in with your Facebook profile. Don't take random Facebook quizzes. Think twice before posting personal information online, even in a private profile.
— he posted on Twitter, a company with no compunction about exploiting user data and was itself and continues to be openly and blatantly exploited to great success in influencing politics, elections, news media, public opinion, financial markets, and law enforcement.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
