Facebook is changing the way that users are counted for the purposes of advertising numbers and such. These moves are meant to be a way in which Facebook restores more privacy to its user base.
Facebook’s been under a lot of pressure recently, the company has literally dodged lawsuit after lawsuit since the 2010’s, with matters only escalating. We’ve gone far from petty user squabbles. The pot’s been boiling for a very long time, and now its got Congressional hearings, a whistleblower stating that the platform’s extremely damaging to its users’ mental health, and a riot against the US Capitol which was largely planned on the platform added to the mix. Yikes is a term that doesn’t even come close to encapsulating just what is going on. While Facebook and its sister platform WhatsApp and Instagram still enjoy a lot of commercial success, each with their own target demographics and audiences, dissent against the parent company has been building up for quite a while. Soon enough, this pot may explode, and perhaps it should.
This post isn’t necessarily here to discuss the ramifications that Facebook is having on our current culture and climate, both political and sociological. It’s here to talk about a new update that’s helping users attain more privacy. However, no conversation about the social network and its users can be held without providing context of the larger problems haunting the platform. Facebook cannot be left unaccountable for the many, many issues that run rampant with the system as a whole. This time, no matter what amends are made, past incidents must be atoned for.
This recent update on how Facebook counts its users for ads comes right after the multiple allegations that the platform’s dissemination of private user data is harmful and unconstitutional. Previously, user information such as their email ID or phone number could be passed on to third party companies without the user’s weighing in on the situation. However, such action will now cease unless the user explicitly allows it. This seems like quite the late response to the WhatsApp policy controversy that took place at the start of the year. Unfortunately, it’s also very late and on the wrong platform. Quite a lot of mistrust has been built up, and an easy solution isn’t in the cards for Facebook.
Perhaps the only solution is for the social network to take its job and the privacy of its massive user base a bit more seriously.
Chesnot via Getty Images
Read next: Facebook Highlights the Need for Diversity in Advertising in New Report
Facebook’s been under a lot of pressure recently, the company has literally dodged lawsuit after lawsuit since the 2010’s, with matters only escalating. We’ve gone far from petty user squabbles. The pot’s been boiling for a very long time, and now its got Congressional hearings, a whistleblower stating that the platform’s extremely damaging to its users’ mental health, and a riot against the US Capitol which was largely planned on the platform added to the mix. Yikes is a term that doesn’t even come close to encapsulating just what is going on. While Facebook and its sister platform WhatsApp and Instagram still enjoy a lot of commercial success, each with their own target demographics and audiences, dissent against the parent company has been building up for quite a while. Soon enough, this pot may explode, and perhaps it should.
This post isn’t necessarily here to discuss the ramifications that Facebook is having on our current culture and climate, both political and sociological. It’s here to talk about a new update that’s helping users attain more privacy. However, no conversation about the social network and its users can be held without providing context of the larger problems haunting the platform. Facebook cannot be left unaccountable for the many, many issues that run rampant with the system as a whole. This time, no matter what amends are made, past incidents must be atoned for.
This recent update on how Facebook counts its users for ads comes right after the multiple allegations that the platform’s dissemination of private user data is harmful and unconstitutional. Previously, user information such as their email ID or phone number could be passed on to third party companies without the user’s weighing in on the situation. However, such action will now cease unless the user explicitly allows it. This seems like quite the late response to the WhatsApp policy controversy that took place at the start of the year. Unfortunately, it’s also very late and on the wrong platform. Quite a lot of mistrust has been built up, and an easy solution isn’t in the cards for Facebook.
Perhaps the only solution is for the social network to take its job and the privacy of its massive user base a bit more seriously.
Chesnot via Getty Images
Read next: Facebook Highlights the Need for Diversity in Advertising in New Report