Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press
The Facebook saga continues… Hello everyone! It’s quite clear (in our opinion), that Facebook puts profits ahead of preserving the privacy of its customers’ data. Once an organization shares client data with any other organization, control (retaining and maintaining the privacy, security and integrity of that data) is lost…period. Facebook cannot control third-party organizations and how they use/abuse/share the data once the data leaves its organizations’ infrastructure. We’ll probably never know just how much individual personal data has been compromised by this social media giant. Here’s the latest update in a New York Times article that Facebook itself states, “Facebook has data-sharing partnerships with at least four Chinese electronics companies, including a manufacturing giant that has a close relationship with China’s government, the social media company said on Tuesday.”
Does this surprise you? It shouldn’t by now…at least it doesn’t surprise us. In fact, it appears that there has really been no leadership within the Facebook organization from the beginning to current day who seriously spearheads organizational protocols for addressing customer data privacy, security and integrity. What do you think would be happening if whistle blowers hadn’t come forward with this abuse of customer data? Do yo think Mr. Zuckerburg would have come forward with his rather pathetic excuse/public apology for NEGLECTING the privacy, integrity and safekeeping of his customers’ data? Or would they be rolling along as they have been for many years staying the course of business as usual? We understand that Facebook most likely isn’t the only social media company that treats its customers’ data with such disregard of customer data privacy in exchange for revenue. We’re sure there are others that do the same, perhaps they just haven’t been exposed…yet.
All said, it’s a lack of concern and at the least, a lax policy of safeguarding customer data privacy, as well as, perhaps taking advantage of using their Client Agreements to mask or bury the rights of what Facebook can do with customer data in the small print that is written far beyond the comprehension level of most its customers. It’s practices like these that makes you wonder what else has been done or IS being done with our data without our knowledge? The specific concern we’re expressing here isn’t so much focused on businesses using Facebook for business promotional and marketing purposes (it is important, but not the focus of this post), it has to do more with the individual personal users and the privacy of their data that concerns us the most. Businesses are usually quite savvy and discreet when it come to publishing information on Facebook and other social media platforms, however the general public isn’t, and that’s where the problem and abuse of data privacy is of greatest concern to us.
We fully understand that there are challenges in how we function as businesses and as individuals in this digital age of social media communication (SMC). As we all understand, SMC can be extremely powerful for business use and personal communication. It can also be very destructive if abused by companies entrusted with the privacy and security of individuals data and the companies with which they share the data. As time moves forward, and industry leaders think through and work through their business models and the responsibilities they have to their customers, and as the court rooms and congress begin to settle cases and draft legislation establishing boundaries of what are acceptable and unacceptable practices with consumer data privacy, we are hopeful and optimistic that there will be better data privacy and security laws established and business protocols put in place , as well as greater transparency and responsibility regarding the privacy of individuals data. That said, only time will tell… yet at what cost? All we can say is be careful with the data (text and media files…all data files) you upload to Facebook and other social media platforms. Do your own research into this problematic business practice of sharing your personal data with other organizations domestically and internationally without your expressed knowledge or consent, then use your own wisdom and discernment as to whether or not this is acceptable to you, and whether or not you decide to use the various social media platforms available that may exploit your personal data.
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