Facebook has received all kinds of bad press lately. They are being hit for privately unsending and deleting Mark Zuckerberg and other top executives messages they have sent through messenger dating back many years. The biggest recent hit of public outrage, though, has to do with Facebook’s breach of users private information that was being collected by Cambridge Analytica. It was recently disclosed that over 87 million users on Facebook had their personal data breached. The data included details on users’ identities, friend networks and “likes.” Cambridge Analytica’s goal was to map what users were interested in and and personality traits and use that information to target audiences with digital ads.
So, how will this information impact businesses and their bottom line? Facebook, after the scandal, came out and announced tighter limits around its API (application programming interface.) They are also placing a free on reviewing new apps on their platform. Instagram, which is an entity of Facebook has also followed in its parent company’s footsteps. Facebook reducing their API calls from 5,000 to 200 to businesses has been hailed by many critics as an overreaction and one that will unjustly hurt businesses for the shortcomings of their own mistakes. A lot of developers and businesses have built businesses off of Facebook depending on certain user data that has all of a sudden disappeared over night. This means a devastating blow for many entrepreneurs who used the platform as a way to build business.
Facebook is going all in, all of a sudden, on user privacy and data access being out. These unannounced, surprising, and drastic sudden changes speak volumes of Facebook’s sudden damage control mode. They may be a winner for users looking for data protection, but their are some unfortunate losers in this situations, besides Facebook. Especially considering all the firms that collect more data than you know they are about you, like Google.
This is a great topical blog post. I’ve been following closely with Zuckerberg’s congressional hearing, and there’s a lot of really interesting points being made on both sides. The difficult aspect is the fact that there are no current pieces of legislation enacted that can hold him or his company accountable, which means that there will be some serious time before an issue like this can receive proper sanctions, if applicable.
Using Facebook for Ecommerce last year was great. I will be very curious to see what happens to all the small businesses that rely heavily on Facebook to gain consumer awareness. Watching some of the questions that Zuckerberg was asked was very humorous. Some of the senators seemed very uninformed about what Facebook is.
I love that you brought up the effects that most users don’t see by boycotting Facebook. For years it has been a center of society and now for the first time… people are truly questioning data privacy. I personally am fine with how Facebook functions as I have known that what you share there really isn’t private, but for others who have used the platform in ways that could be harmful to their careers… this issue is only just beginning.