“Cambridge
Analytica has shed light on the less savoury practices of this
social media goliath. Now will Joe Public
be the David that fells Goliath?"[1] or will governments need to
step in?
Anyone who has watched The Social
Network - the 2010 Oscar winning movie about the way Mark
Zuckerberg created Facebook, can see that it: “takes familiar
ideas about trust, friendship, endeavour, ambition, betrayal and
greed, into fascinating new areas of experience”[2]. - Now in 2018,
these elements have been mirrored by Facebook's real life strategy-
driving people to close their accounts and sending FB's stock
plummeting amid intensifying scrutiny. “After the news of improper
data-handling by Cambridge Analytica broke, the company suffered its
worst stock decline in four years”[2]. “The company has already
lost $95.48 billion dollars in 2 weeks”[1]. Moreover, experts
predict that Facebook shares are potentially toxic. And if there is
sufficient evidence that: “Facebook data has been used to influence
Trump’s election, the Brexit decision, and many other political
voting processes, Facebook could go bankrupt. The amount of legal
cases and... [the costs], especially when GDPR law comes into effect,
are potentially too high..."[1]. Moreover, how will users react?
“The
Cambridge Analytica scandal could affect as many as 87 million FB
users”
Facebook – A Major
Global Invasion Agent & Election Meddler?
Decked out in a hoodie and sneakers,
Zuckerberg's portrayal in
The Social Network, was that of a
brilliant visionary, ruthlessly driven by success at all costs, as he
worked to build and open up an awesome unique social space. But what
have the ambitions of the
real
Zuckerberg been? How has he been influenced by
the heavy weight power brokers behind and around him? Or is he the
one pulling the strings and influencing them? And how does he really
feel about the 2.2 billion active users across the globe who have
placed their trust in Facebook? Or is his seemingly ultimate ambition
to be king of all media platforms, his number one priority?
During his first
Questions
& Answers session in 2014, at FB HQ,
Facebook's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, claimed that he did not like to make
“silly or frivolous” decisions such as what to have for
breakfast, stating: “I really want to clear my life so that I have
to make as few decisions as possible about anything, except how to
best serve this community [of Facebook users]”[4]. He also
declared: “My goal was never to make Facebook cool. I’m not a
cool person, and I’ve never really tried to be cool. Our goal isn’t
necessarily to make it particularly exciting to use; we want to make
it useful”[4]. - But useful to whom, exactly? - The Kremlin, troll
factories, and others with an agenda? Trump, and other would-be
presidential hopefuls and their multi-million and billion dollar
backers? The Brexit supporters, and others involved in political
voting processes? - So breakfast aside, how has the multi-billionaire
Zuckerberg, served the community of late?
“Zuckerberg
admitted to making a “huge mistake” by failing to sufficiently
consider how bad actors could abuse the social networking service”
[5]
Zuckerberg was recently interviewed by
Ezra Klein, who writes for the American advocacy news website Vox –
an organisation, which according to the MediaBias/Fact Check site,
cooperates with: “media sources [which] are moderately to strongly
biased toward liberal causes through story selection and/or political
affiliation. They may utilize strong loaded words, publish misleading
reports and omit reporting of information that may damage liberal
causes. Some sources in this category may be untrustworthy”[6].
The CEO stated that it will probably
take years to repair the issues relating to privacy violations,
election meddling, and other problems related to FB's negative impact
on society at large. “I wish I could solve all these issues in
three months or six months, but I just think the reality is that
solving some of these questions is just going to take a longer period
of time,”[7], he declared. No doubt he is taking government
investigations into account here as well...
Zuckerberg, went into super spin mode, and made the excuse that FB’s
current difficulties have come about partly because during its
initial 10 years, the platform was chiefly concentrating on linking
up users, and did not pay sufficient attention to detrimental side
effects. He also stressed that the company started to confront the
problems in 2017 [7], although, clearly there was no choice in the
matter when what had transpired hit the headlines...
Speaking at a press briefing on 3rd
April, 2018, Zuckerberg said: “that he takes responsibility for a
series of crises plaguing his service over the past year. These
include the spread of fake news by Russian trolls and the alleged
exploitation of Facebook user data by political consulting firm
Cambridge Analytica to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential
election”[5].
During the Vox Zuckerberg interview,
Ezra Klein posed this question: “One thing that has been damaging
for Facebook over the past year is a concern will arise and initially
the answer is, “Very, very few people saw fake news.” Or, “Very,
very few people saw anything from Russia-related bots.” And then
slowly it comes out, “No, actually it was more. Millions. Maybe
hundreds of millions”[9]. - So in light of the gravity of the
situation, just “taking responsibility” is not enough. Outside
investigation should be seen as mandatory.
“One of Zuckerberg’s
longest-serving deputies prioritized all-encompassing growth over all
else, a view that has led to questionable data collection and
manipulative treatment of its users” [8]
“It’s clear now we didn’t focus
enough on abuse,”[5]. Zuckerberg noted. He also: “reiterated a
series of changes Facebook has made... [including] limiting the
amount of data third-party developers can obtain by building apps on
Facebook [5]. - But the horse has bolted, and there is no turning
back the clock on the serious irreversible damage that has been done.
And what are the chances that even more negative revelations will
come out? For example, Zuckerberg has now told US politicians at the Senate Investigation Committee, that FB will investigate "tens of thousands" of apps to determine whether any other companies have obtained data in a similar way to Cambridge Analytica.
Opening Up Users'
Profiles Has Been Common Practice At Facebook
In 2009, Zuckerberg revamped FB's
privacy settings, and unless users understood this, and restored
their individual settings, then their previously private information
became public for all to be see. Congress became very concerned at
the public outcry, and requested Zuckerberg to revise FB's policy,
and explore its guidelines so that users clearly know what is going
on [11].
Chris Hoofnagle, the Director of
Privacy Programs at the University of California, Berkeley, believes
that Zuckerberg deliberately pushes the boundaries on privacy,
noting: they take two steps forward, and after public outcry, just
take a small step back. - So to that end, over time, FB have been
successful at systematically opening up users' profiles more and more
[11].
Privacy is a "human
right" and "a civil liberty," Tim Cook, CEO, Apple [9]
Everything is not as it should be, and
the necessary level of checks to protect users were not instigated.
With such brilliant minds employed by Facebook, including many who
broke away from Google, this scenario seems incomprehensible. And
more disconcerting news: Facebook stated that “malicious actors”
had abused a feature [which has recently been disabled] to likely
scrape the public profile information of the company’s two billion
users”[5]. Naturally, the platform's policies regarding data
handling are under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, and
a number of politicians are demanding more stringent privacy laws
[5]. Laws which should already have been in force.
“Facebook's
Interference in Nations' Politics Will Not Be Tolerated”
Facebook has clearly demonstrated that
it is a mega master of social manipulation, and that it has the
unfettered power to change world events. - “Elections can lose
legitimacy, or ethnic violence can break out”[10]. This means that
governments need to take positive action.
Switching To A Non-Toxic Platform
There are of course, savory alternative
platforms, as people are rapidly discovering. One of these is OONA. -
This world 1st ad supported platform that
goes beyond
TV and OTT, is dedicated to serving user's on the go
entertainment and messaging needs. OONA's ads are solely limited to
branded products. - And this is just how it should be - zero
manipulated political messages and ads, and as with OONA, a hundred
percent transparency, and extremely strict data regulation for the
security, welfare, and protection of its users, and compliance with
the operating country's regulations.
OONA offers both free to air, pay TV,
and OTT options, and is set to provide data and subscription-free
movies, documentaries, series, motor sports, cookery specials, celebrity news, documentaries, educational broadcasts, live
sports, breaking news, and more, over up to 300 channels, to billions of people in
Asia, South America, the Middle East, Africa, the US and Europe. OONA's exciting new concept
gives users and content holders 100% control, and allows viewers to
get what they want to watch at the moment they want to watch it -
anytime, anywhere. It
also also gives users a cool way of choosing, sharing and editing
their fab entertainment content, and even rewards them for sharing
entertainment content, and watching channels and ads. OONA has initiated its
service by providing this state-of-the-art free platform to 185
million plus Indonesians, as a result of its partnership with Telkom
Indonesia – one the the world's foremost telcom giants.
OONA,
the brainchild of leading digital strategist, CEO and serial entrepreneur, Christophe Hochart,
will be officially launching this summer of 2018 - and is well
on course to fulfill its Mission Statement: “To make life fun for
billions of people by providing free Mobile TV.”
Indonesia Leads The Way In Declaring
Taking Any Necessary Action Against Facebook
Indonesia is home to the largest
economy in Southeast Asia, and is on track to become the biggest
digital economy in the area. It is a region with a population of in
excess of 260 million, of whom close to 115 million use Facebook.
Ahead of the upcoming presidential race in Indonesia,
Rudiantara, the highly respected Minister of Communication and
Information Technology, stated that: “Facebook could be shut down
if there is evidence the personal data of citizens is being
systematically harvested”[12].
“Rudiantara’s warning comes amid a
crackdown in Indonesia on the use of social media to publish fake
news and hate speech” [13]. His stance
will address the “growing fears
the democratic election could be influenced by Facebook and other
social media websites” [12]. "If I have to shut them down,
then I will do it,"[12], Rudiantara said in an interview on the
5th of April, 2018, pointing out that Indonesia has previously
blocked Telegram, the encrypted messaging app. "I did it. I have
no hesitation to do it again,” the Communications Minister
added”[12]. - Clearly, this is this type of strong leadership and
decisive action which needs to be implemented by individual countries
worldwide.
Speaking to Bloomberg Business,
Rudiantara, warned that Facebook could face harsh penalties if it
fails to abide by a 2016 decree regarding the protection of personal
data and information. He said: "There are administrative
sanctions. I can issue the warning letter to them. There will also be
criminal sanctions"[12]. He explained that under Indonesian law:
“Facebook employees could face up to 12 years in jail and a fine of
up to 12 billion rupiah ($873,000 or £620,000) [12]. Further, he
stated: "I want an undertaking that there were no Indonesian
Facebook users whose information or data was used by Cambridge
Analytica, if that is the case, I can chase them..."[12].
Bloomberg also notes that:
“Australia’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Timothy
Pilgrim, confirmed on March 20 his office had also sought to clarify
with Facebook "whether any personal information of Australians
was involved" in the scandal”[13].
In Summary
Zuckerberg says that he wants to make
the world a better place – yet it is clear that he also wants to be Number 1 - and that can mean ruthless operating tactics. The old
adage, never judge a book by its cover, is very appropriate here –
an ultra cool guy dressed in a gray t-shirt, hoody and sneakers, who
set up and works at an ultra cool company in Silicon Valley, who says
he is not cool, and does not operate to make FB cool, has to know
that he is not just dealing with a program or piece of gadget – he
is dealing with people's identities. Historically, he has been guilty
of pushing the boundaries of people's privacy and manipulating its
users, and now Facebook faces very serious questions about improper
data handling and election manipulation.
Facebook has gone a step too far, and
what is unfolding now, may only be the tip of the iceberg. - Time
will tell... But what is very important, is that individual
countries take appropriate action to see if their citizen's have been
affected by Facebook's gross dereliction of duty, and then act
accordingly. Indonesia's Minister of Communication and Information
Technology, Rudiantara, has taken a stance that sets an example for
all.
Ultimately, even with Zuckerberg's
proposed sweeping changes, 2.2 billion people across the world, still
have to ask themselves: Do I want my life controlled by Facebook, and
its constant changes, some of which are driven by manipulation? Or do
I want to simplify things and be part of a platform such as OONA,
which guarantees full transparency, and user data and information
protection? - A platform that is there to entertain, educate, and
make life fun with interactive tools and great messaging and sharing
facilities?
And when it comes to politics, people
can go to reputable political websites – it's as simple as that...
References
[4]. Batty, David, & Johnson, Chris
(2014). “Social Network ‘made up stuff that was hurtful,” says
Mark Zuckerberg.” The Guardian.
Accessed 5 Apr. 2018.
[10]. Klien, Ezra (2018). “Mark
Zuckerberg on Facebook’s hardest year, and what comes next.”
[13]. Salna, Karlis (2018). “Indonesia
Threatens to Shut Down Facebook If Privacy Breached.”
Bloomberg Politics.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-02/indonesia-threatens-to-shut-down-facebook-if-privacy-breached
Accessed 6 Apr. 2018.
