Weekly News

Data Debacle Continues

This week Facebook has continued to simmer in its hot water after its data protection scandal. In summary Facebook allowed a company called Cambridge Analytica to access user specific details. This information is not only a breach of the strong data protection act but also has been used in several illegal activities.

The data was used in the Brexit referendum whereby swinging voters were shown more Pro-Brexit material. It has been suggested that this may have influenced the vote enough to heavily impact the result. As discussed in this BBC News article Mark Zuckerberg has refused to meet with UK MP's to discuss the issue and is instead sending one of his senior executives. This decision was seen as "astonishing" and has been widely criticised. 

The BBC definitely is against Facebook here. Using paragraph headings such as "Nothing good" and "Posh Veneer" imply the negative outlook the have on this story. Looking at the BBC's history and it's clear that there is a very strong opinion about data protection. Every data protection leak is reported on by the BBC as is treated with plenty of disapproval. 

I feel strongly in favour of the data protection act. This kind of manipulation is abhorrent and shows just the extent that these companies have control over our thoughts. It could be interpreted that these subtle advertising changes are not only a form of subliminal messaging, which is illegal. It should also be noted what else could be done with this power. They can swing elections, start wars and all manner of other activities. It's clear that Google and Facebook have this power and makes me question where it may have been used before.