The Major Concerns and Issues with Facebook and its Other Applications

Concerns with Facebook
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Table of Content
Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………3
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….4
Statement of the Problem…………………………………………………………………...4
Statement of Purpose………………………………………………………………………..4
Research Questions………………………………………………………………………….5
Significance of the Study……………………………………………………………………5
Literature Review……………………………………………………………………………5
Cambridge Analytica Scandal………………………………………………………………6
The Controversial Facial-Recognition Technology………………………………………..6
The Antitrust Case against Facebook………………………………………………………6
Privacy Concerns…………………………………………………………………………….7
What Are the Default Privacy Settings When Creating a Facebook Account?.................7
If One Changes the Settings, Can Facebook Still Access Users’ Information?..................7
Is Facebook worth Giving up One’s Privacy?.......................................................................7
Collection of Users’ Information……………………………………………………………8
Why Does Facebook Need to Collect Users’ Information?..................................................8
What Does Facebook Do With Users’ Information?............................................................8
Can a Person Limit What Information Facebook Collects?................................................8
Ways to Secure a Facebook Account………………………………………………………..9
Why is it Important to Secure a Facebook Account?...........................................................9
What Can Happen If People Do Not Secure Their Facebook Accounts?...........................9
Can Facebook Change Any of a Person’s Settings after One Secures the Account?.........9
Strategies Facebook Can Implement to Address Users’ Privacy Concerns……………..10
How Can Facebook Prevent Hacking of Users’ Accounts?................................................10
Is Facebook’s Customer Support Available Online?.....................................................10
Does Facebook Care About Users’ Data As It Claims or Promises?.................................10
Recommendations on How Facebook Can Address Its Issues Based on the Literature Review………………………………………………………………………………………...11
Improve Privacy……………………………………………………………………………...11
Collect Fewer Data on Users…………………………………………………………………..11
All Applications Should Allow Users to Share the Information They Want Willingly….12
Information Censorship Should Not Be Done For Personal Gains……………………….12
Improve the Security of Facebook Accounts……………………………………………….12
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………….13
References…………………………………………………………………………………….14
Concerns with Facebook
Abstract
Today, we are all easily connected with people all throughout the world via the Internet. There are many different applications or websites that help us stay in touch with our family, friends, and the current trends in the world, such as Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Pinterest, Reddit, TikTok, and many more. But perhaps, the biggest application that has connected us together is Facebook. Facebook is a social media application that allows people, businesses, or organizations to share content with others in a matter of seconds, such as information, pictures, videos, events, or products. While this may sound great and all, there are also some disadvantages to using Facebook. Demerits, such as privacy issues, collect private contact information of its users, use sub-applications to collect users’ information, and can block your account at any time if they want. A scary fact about all this is that some people know the risks and concerns associated with the use of Facebook but are still comfortable using the app. Throughout this research paper, I will be discussing some of the major concerns and issues with Facebook and some of its other applications.
Introduction
In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes, and Eduardo Saverin founded Facebook while they were students at Harvard University (Sraders, 2020). At that moment, the website’s primary objective was to connect Harvard students. Facebook grew rapidly, and today, it is among the largest social networking sites worldwide, with over 2.9 billion active users. Many people use Facebook daily to stay in touch with their friends, colleagues, and families and know the current trends in various sectors around the globe. Others use it for marketing their businesses and sharing content with their fans, and firms use Facebook to notify their customers about new products or services. Although Facebook is a renowned company, it has issues or concerns, such as privacy, personal data collection, cyber-attacks, and how to ensure that one’s Facebook account is secure, which will be discussed in this paper.
Statement of the Problem
Facebook does not have users’ best interests at heart. The security of individuals’ Facebook accounts is not guaranteed. In addition, users do not know how Facebook uses their personal data, which is collected from the moment that a person registers an account. The popularity of Facebook has put this social networking site in high demand. Almost everyone wants to be on Facebook regardless of the data privacy issues. Moreover, Facebook has been involved in several cyber breaches where cyber attackers access users’ data.
Statement of Purpose
The paper’s primary aim is to discuss the concerns that affect Facebook and its users. In particular, since its establishment, Facebook has grown steadily to become one of the most influential and largest social networking platforms. However, its growth does not align with users’ data protection. The main things that will be discussed in the entirety of this paper include privacy issues, users’ data harvesting, cyber breaches, and ways to secure a Facebook account. In addition, some recommendations on how to stay safe on Facebook will be offered.
Research Questions
The following research questions will be addressed in this paper:
1. Why does Facebook collect information from its users?
2. Why are privacy issues so many on Facebook?
3. How does Facebook protect users’ personal data?
4. How can Facebook users’ accounts stay secure?
5. What are the suggestions to eliminate privacy concerns existing on Facebook?
Significance of the Study
The study will educate people about various concerns that exist on Facebook. Some individuals do not know that Facebook gathers their information, which third-party companies then use for advertising their products and services. Suppose people are educated on how to stay secure while using Facebook. In that case, they can avoid giving out sensitive information, such as a physical address, date of birth, social security number, and other personal data. The recommendations provided will enable Facebook users to understand how they can secure their accounts.
Literature Review
Facebook has helped many people to stay in touch and reunite with their friends and families regardless of their geographical location. The primary challenge encountered during the study was getting the most appropriate scholarly sources. However, the problem was overcome by reviewing different sources and ensuring they addressed the research questions. The following are some of the concerns involving Facebook privacy scandals and technology.
Cambridge Analytica Scandal
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) of the United Kingdom fined Facebook $5 billion for involvement in the Cambridge Analytica Scandal in 2015 (BBC News, 2019). Facebook breached the Data Protection Act of 1998 by failing to protect users’ personal information. Specifically, Cambridge Analytica was found to have gathered data of about 87 million Facebook users without their consent globally. The scandal shows that Facebook does not prioritize users’ data security and confidentiality.
The Controversial Facial-Recognition Technology
The Facebook facial-recognition system has fueled class-action lawsuits, privacy concerns, and government investigations. The software automatically identifies people in users’ digital image albums. In addition, it suggests to the user to tag them by clicking, linking all the Facebook accounts of individuals in the images (Hill & Mac, 2021). Since facial-recognition technology has significantly advanced its accuracy, it can easily be misused by cybercriminals, law enforcement agencies, and governments.
The Antitrust Case against Facebook
Facebook has grown steadily and acquired other social networking platforms, such as Instagram and WhatsApp. In that light, it is challenging to avoid this company or its affiliates. Megan Borovicka, a 42-year-old lawyer in Oakland, California, said that she opened Facebook in 2013 (Fowler, 2021). Despite not friend-requesting anyone, liking photos, posting status updates, or using the Facebook app on the phone for a decade, Facebook knew her underwear brand and the place she got her paycheck. Besides, in August 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed an antitrust lawsuit against the company, citing that Facebook should be closed (Fowler, 2021). As such, Facebook gathers more information about its users ...