Facebook continues to violate user privacy

Facebook has continued to leverage user data for all kinds of analytics and marketing purposes. I am sure Facebook has covered all the legal basis with their expensive lawyers. When you accept terms at the time of creating a Facebook account (without reading the terms), you give up your rights about how much of your (and your friends) data can be shared. But, this is not a legal issue. Most users don't read the terms of any website but their implicit understanding is that their data will not be exploited.

Users expect to be targeted with ads because they are getting a free access. But, there is a difference between targeting for ads and your personal and private information being exploited to influence your behavior.  Back in 2014, I had published a blog post about Facebook experimenting with your minds - https://thesocialnumber.blogspot.com/2014/07/facebook-messing-with-peoples-minds.html. Users were upset about that experiment but most continued to use Facebook without major concerns.

In the most recent scandal Cambridge Analytica funded by conservative billionaire Robert Mercer (friend of Donald Trump and Steve Bannon), acquired and exploited the data of 50 million Facebook users.  The online publication Vox.com explains the whole saga in very simple terms here - https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/23/17151916/facebook-cambridge-analytica-trump-diagram

Finally, users have realized that Facebook is not the platform to share their feelings and opinions without repercussions. There is a movement for #deletefacebook on Twitter and users are abandoning the Facebook ship including many celebrities like Elon Musk, and Cher who have already deleted their Facebook accounts.

It's about time users turn to anonymous social networks like Social Number where not only their data is not exploited, they can express their opinions freely without any repercussions from bosses, families, friends, and others. 

Social Number is available from the website https://www.socialnumber.com or you can download the app from Google Play or Apple Playstore. Get your number today and start expressing yourself freely.

See you online soon!

M.K.