Facebook Data Scandal

Last night, at about 9pm, the founder of one of the largest social network in the world, Mark Zuckerberg made a facebook post to address the outrageous data scandal concerning Facebook. In a quite explicit manner, Mark Zuckerberg explained how Aleksandr Kogan had breached the privacy agreement he had with Facebook by going on to share personal data belonging to millions of Facebook users to an electioneering company- Cambridge Analytical.

Aleksandr Kogan, like every other App developer, struck a deal with Facebook which was later going to involve him having limited access to the data of millions of Facebook users. These users must have subscribed to Kogan’s personality quiz App before he can access data belonging to them.

In Mark Zuckerberg’s statement, he did make mention of some actions put in place to prevent a re-occurrence of such leakages.

“The good news is that the most important actions to prevent this from happening

again today we have already taken years ago.”

Smart move. Yet, he couldn’t put in place a strategy to keep it from happening at all.

Technically, Facebook has been acting as a host to different Apps and developers. For example, if I designed an App to guess people’s age as accurately as possible, and I want to market it to a vast audience, here’s what I can do- approach facebook to host my app and ensure it appears on people’s newsfeed. People will sooner or later get used to seeing my App pop up on their newsfeed, and will eventually want to try it out. The revenue I get from the use of my App can be split between myself and my Facebook. Notice that most apps demand your personal data before you sign up. This is how Facebook gives them permission to request users’ data.
So, while you think your data is safe on Facebook, it is, in reality, been transferred to a completely different platform altogether. The difference being that. Facebook has the final say to how much of your data any developer or Application should request.

Easy, right?
But Uncle Mark won’t explain it this way because when it is all about a conspiracy.

Let’s examine these questions critically:

1. Why didn’t he restrict access to personal data by these Apps at first instance?
2. Why weren’t all of his corrective measures taken earlier as a preventive action?
3. Why is he pushed to suddenly act now?

This deal has been on for years. Kogan and Facebook. Kogan had enjoyed “unlimited” access to users’ data and nobody said peem. Now, Kogan has transferred data access to Cambridge Analytical, news leaked, and Mark Zuckerberg is acting all surprised and upright.

Truth is, all of the supposed steps to protect users’ information are basic things that ought to have been put in place long before now. Okay, look at them:

1. Facebook will investigate “all apps that had access to large amounts of information” before it changed its platform in 2014. The company conduct an audit of any app “with suspicious activity.” Zuckerberg said it would ban any developer that doesn’t agree to being audited. Facebook will also notify anyone affected by apps that misused user information.
2. Zuckerberg said Facebook will restrict developers’ access to user data.
3. Facebook will introduce a tool at the top of its news feed that will allow users to revoke apps’ permissions to user data.

Does it even seem like anything has changed?

Source;  Fifietalks