Facebook has been under fire recently for harvesting people’s data using a company called Cambridge Analytica. The company has ties to President Trump and has personal information from over 50 million profiles. Facebook isn’t the only company to do this. Instagram (which is owned by Facebook) is also guilty of using personal data.
Instagram allows advertisers to gain access to detailed information to from your age, gender, political affiliation and education level to build profiles that target you specifically. What’s the issue with this, though? Social media using our personal information could be considered as exploitation and is potentially dangerous in the wrong hands. Companies like Cambridge Analytica is guilty of exploiting 50 million accounts but also is not accountable for any harm caused by it as there was no hacking involved.
There is really only one solution to this problem and that’s to delete your Instagram and Facebook accounts to avoid having your information used and having advertisements thrown at you on every page. Deleting social media accounts is something that many may find difficult, especially the younger generations. Many see Facebook as the social site that revolutionized social media, it made old friends and families connect like never before. Facebook has also become something you use to log in and create accounts with other websites using ‘Log in with Facebook’ rather than using your email address. Deleting Facebook would compromise all of these things.
What do you think about having your personal data used? Would you cut the cord with Facebook? Let’s us know at @AppleMagazine.
