Facebook – the great invention or the end of privacy (Research Paper Sample)

Facebook – the great invention or the end of privacy
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Facebook began in 2004 and it has more than four thousand employees and one billion active users. Most active users use mobile gadgets to interact on the networking platform. Facebook is very useful in helping them make global friends maintain close relationships with people known to them. There are several privacy concerns about the company though. For instance requesting users to provide their mobile numbers is perceived as very intrusive because it significantly compromises one’s privacy (Boyd 14). Users give their personal information willingly, but they do not fully understand the way that information is used or the associated risks. Facebook stockpiles astounding amount of personal information about users’ preferences, habits and social interactions. It is imperative that users understand the substantial negative privacy ramifications of using Facebook.
Facebook does not properly inform users that information is being collected, and it also does not give them a chance for voluntary participation in the collection. It does not also identify the actors involved in collecting information or the nature of the information collected. The more personal information users they share, the stronger Facebook becomes. It also makes it easier to be exposed to advertisers and strangers (Sileo n.p.). Users need recognizing that Facebook uses their personal information for targeted advertising to fund the online content that they enjoy for free (Dusseault 9). Users also have the right to know what use the information is intended for and the rules that govern the protection and confidentiality of the information (Dusseault 10). It is essential in assisting them to exercise control over privacy of their information.
Facebook has features that allow data miners to fetch user IDs. Data miners use one’s email address to fetch one’s ID and subsequently the name and a profile picture regardless of one’s privacy settings. In some cases, data miners can access information about one’s friends and photos based on the privacy settings. Social media also uses sophisticated algorithms to collect background information that is unavailable in public profiles such as search histories, purchases, internet sites visited and the content of private messages to evaluate behavior and customize their services and to seek ways of generating revenue (Dusseault 3). It gives companies the loophole to advertise based on the mined information without users’ knowledge.
Facebook also provides a switch account tab that allows one to work on different accounts without having to log in and out. It is a privacy issue because it allows scammers to operate many pages simultaneously (Sileo n.p.). Facebook also has a social graph that reveals significant information to the public than one might realize (Ingram n.p.). It exposes users to predatory acts that may have serious consequences such as credit card theft.
Facebook deliberately strips people of their privacy because it declined to install a do not track feature on its platform. A do not track feature allows users to opt out of having their online behavior tracked. The feature is similar to how a do not call list prohibits telemarketers from calling them. Installing such a feature would go to great lengths in shielding vulnerable persons, such as children and teenagers from predatory online acts (Dusseault 43).
Facebook allows people to maintain infinite numbers of friends and it is impossible for users to keep up with hundreds of people. The virtual friends are not necessarily close friends but Facebook assumes that all the connections are friends. Participants have varied reasons for maintaining connections on the site. They keep tabs on their connections’ private life because everyone’s notices are displayed. The broad based exposure of personal information lessens the ability to protect one’s reputation particularly when friends read messages out of context.
Facebook also limits one’s ability to shape the image that is presented to others and inhibits freedom. It keeps a record of one’s blunders and increases the chances of hasty condemnation as well as limits the ability to overcome past mistakes. Posting one’s life on Facebook may limit access to opportunities because of something that happened in the past when one was a teenager. It creates the risk that one’s intimate secrets may be revealed by former friends when a friendship turns sour or if one becomes an unwitting victim of a false rumor. It also limits the chance of having the option to start over and forget past mistakes (Solove 2).
Facebook supporters espouse that Facebook is a great invention that also attends to users’ privacy concerns. Facebook consistently creates new features and communicates that it is necessary for users to continuously update their privacy settings to guard against the potential cost to their privacy (Sileo n.p.). Supporters capitalize on its benefits such as allowing people to establish new communities and relationships. They indicate that it helps one to communicate with people that one has not been in touch with for a long time. They also espouse that it allows people to make new friendships internationally and have discussions in groups and helps in spreading news for people to remain updated with current issues.
Supporters also indicate that Facebook allows its users to review the specific information that companies hold about them and request deletion. They indicate that Facebook collects certain data from users and stores it in an activity log that is accessible to them. Users can opt to delete this information. Collecting such information is useful to Facebook because it enhances its search functionality. When one opts to delete their information, Facebook initiates active deletion where logs with identifying information are removed although it may keep anonymous information logs (Dusseault 20). Many Facebook users have basic knowledge about the tools available and suffer out of ignorance. It is important that Facebook creates barriers to opening accounts such as a test to enhance users’ awareness of the security features. It is because many become victims due to their ignorance about features that allow one to delete sensitive information.
Facebook supporters indicate that Facebook does not reveal personal information to advertisers. Advertisers ask Facebook to show certain advertisements to people that are interested in particular topics. It shows advertising to the users without providing information about the people viewing the ad rather it provided general information on the number of people reached (Dusseault 52). There is need for Facebook to allow users to voluntarily opt out or in for sharing their information with advertisers.
Supporters challenge the privacy concerns by indicating that Facebook has also changed its data use policy to replace that previously complex privacy policy that made it challenging for users to understand how their information is used. The new policy is in plain language that is comprehensive. It also has an easy to understand guide on privacy (Dusseault 15). However, many users also do not read the privacy policy and this limits their knowledge on shielding themselves. It means that the company needs to provide more security prompts to allow users to opt ...