DailyPost 548
FACEBOOK: SKELETONS GALORE!
Users, media, governments & whistle-blower’s across the globe are wasting their precious time as skeletons are continuously falling out of the Facebook cupboard. The company can do immense service to the world & itself if it comes out with a White Paper on Data Creation and Data Usage, leaving out nothing which they do; by default, consent or manipulation. This should include the software used, their utilities, algorithms, the business logic & the commercial spinoffs.
While Facebook’s face saving bought ads appeared in print media in UK & US, Ars Technica website dropped a bombshell, the data collection from Android phones. It reported that their data was being scraper by this social media. Calling the defence of Facebook bizarre can be an understatement. This is all being done to enhance the user experience. Epitome of philanthropy! Let Facebook also disclose in the public domain the cash flow on this count. Deleting Facebook accounts won’t help, given the permanent nature of data storage & the commercial mindset of data harvesting.
What user needs for a better user experience can be decided after international deliberations, creation of a document, beta version & validation. Faked Consent, is used as a legal alibi. Henceforth, the consent should be made clear in understandable language &posted in the print media for easier dissemination. The user groups, IT lawyers & governments should create the final content, format, enforcement & legal implications. Camouflaged Legality will not work.
Settings & options offered are being offered as an explanation. It will not any ice. Are users even treated as human beings in the Facebook ecosystem? Or they are Facebook slaves creating immense data for commercial exploitation transforming it into billions at ease. Human Bots can be an apt description of our social media existence. Facebook’s commercial growth trajectory has been a record in the history of capitalism.
A COMPREHENSIVE PUBLIC DATA AUDIT OF SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES CAN HAVE A SOBERING IMPACT.
Sanjay Sahay