Data Privacy

While the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal has created its share of problems for Facebook, it’s clear that the scale and scope of the scandal extends to every corner of Silicon Valley. After all, most tech giants are collecting staggering amounts of user data and comprehensive new privacy regulations seem imminent.

In the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, many have suggested that Facebook be regulated, fined and perhaps even broken up. After all, if the FTC were to invoke its full power, it could theoretically levy hundreds of millions of dollars of fines, crippling Facebook. But is a big tech company too big to fail?

The congressional testimony was supposed to establish a national debate about data privacy and the right of users to protect their data from being sold, used, or analyzed in ways that were never intended. Instead, it has become very clear that regulating privacy is harder than anyone originally expected.

As the technologies for gathering, analysing, and acting on information become increasingly powerful, we find ourselves facing a tipping point as we consider the impact of data-driven processes on the ethics in information management and the challenges of managing data privacy.

In an effort to get out in front of the data privacy scandal threatening to engulf the company, Facebook recently announced a new data abuse bounty program, which promises to pay people who report data abuses. But is this new data abuse bounty program going to result in any real changes to data privacy on Facebook?

After nearly two months of non-stop controversy and scandal over its improper use of Facebook data, Cambridge Analytica finally announced that it was ceasing operations, effective immediately. In doing so, Cambridge Analytica has become the new poster child to highlight the perils of data security breaches.

Companies, and even entire industries, are more afraid of Wall Street than they are of Washington. Instead of Facebook’s stock falling on privacy concerns, it is actually rising. Facebook has sensed that Wall Street doesn’t really care about privacy, and as long as Wall Street doesn’t care about privacy, why should it?

As much as Facebook would like to sweep the Cambridge Analytica data scandal under the rug, signs continue to mount that the company is still playing fast and loose with user data. All this raises the question of whether the 2011 FTC settlement that resulted in an 8-count consent decree actually went far enough.

Seventy percent of security pros want governments to impose social media regulation for the collection of personal data by social media companies. Yet, expectations are hazy and 72% also indicated that they have little to no faith that government officials have an understanding of the threats to digital privacy.

Of all the legislation currently on the horizon, the Honest Ads Act seems to have the best chance of passage. The legislation is easy to understand and has bilateral support as well as the tacit support of Facebook, which is under pressure to show that it is changing and has the best interests of users at heart.