Media coverage of the recent scandals at Facebook and Google is raising awareness of the long-overlooked issue of data privacy, which is no bad thing. That said, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with business models based on the use of data: there’s certainly need for awareness— but not for panic.
But if business models based on data are here to stay, and it certainly looks so, companies creating them should be based on sound ethical principles and good practice, not on an anything goes culture. Take Google and Facebook: the former provides us with free services far superior to those we used before it appeared (searches, email, the cloud or many others), in return for information on our interests to create more focused advertising; in contrast, Facebook is a social network that is no different to others — in fact, its interface is a confusing, random mess — and that, in addition, has violated the most basic ethical principles and appears to have no scruples whatsoever.
Facebook’s problems are those of an organization created without principles or ethical considerations: any opportunity to make a buck is seized, it will sell its users’ data to the highest bidder without considering the consequences. No, the Cambridge Analytica affair was not a problem on the margins of Facebook perpetrated by some malicious player, but a logical consequence of a system that, with zero supervision, allows anyone to do what they want with people’s information, be they academics, a secret service, an irresponsible company or an identity thief. Facebook exists because nobody offers a better way to get ads in front of people, whether they want them or not. Google does not sell my data or pass it on to any third party, it simply allows that third party to display an advertisement to a segment of its database that includes me, based on certain variables. Facebook not only hands my data over to anyone who asks for it without telling me, but its security practices are below any minimally acceptable standard, and what’s more it has systematically shown a total lack of respect for its users.
What is the result of Google knowing about us and our online interests? We receive ads that largely reflect those interests and we still have some control over what we see. Sure, there are aspects that could be improved, and in fairness, Google seems to be working toward that end. Does it make mistakes? Of course. But Google does not share my data and it does all it can to protect it from theft.
To sum up: the problem with Facebook having detailed information about me is that it passes my most personal data on to organizations of all kinds, organizations that use that information for whatever they want, not just to target ads, but on behalf of governments and politicians trying to manipulate me for electoral purposes or to change my opinion with fake news. Facebook’s is a culture where anything goes and where if my information is not sold it can be stolen easily or simply given to a third party. Facebook has be exposed for lying about its figures, about its practices and about the scale of its malpractice, which includes manipulating young users, charging for fake clicks or whatever else it can think of. And when it gets caught, it resources to any means available to fight whoever is trying to expose it and, as the last resource, it apologizes, makes some excuses, promises not to do it again, and then carries on as before.
In short, Google is not perfect and I have highlighted its faults on numerous occasions. There is room for improvement, but its practices are most of the time reasonable, and overall it makes a positive contribution. But Facebook is completely unacceptable, and I am convinced not only that it is an unsustainable and irresponsible model, but also that the sooner we get rid of it, the better for all.
