Facebook and Privacy

Begin with definitions. For Facebook, (1) The customers are those agencies that purchase information from their product (2), the personal data produced by their 2 billion users. Most of those 2 billion were scarcely aware their personal data was being sold. Thus, for Facebook, implied data privacy is a myth. For Facebook, there seems little measure of business ethics.

When the CEO Mark Zuckerberg was caught data-ripping he apologized, and then again when caught again. “We have much to learn.” I believe he did learn.

Taken to the next step, it would not be surprising if Facebook sold customer data to other customers.

Now Facebook is the principal behind a new cryptocurrency. With it, people will be able to transfer (and pay) funds from point to point. This new venture, called Libra*, goes live next year. With Libra, Facebook will have access to another dimension of data – financial data, account numbers, and more. Facebook promises they will not access this data.

The next step will be when Facebook enters the most data intensive realm of all, cloud computing. Facebook will promise not to peek. Look for an announcement soon.

To be “king of data” is one thing, but to be “dictator of data” is quite another.

*http://fortune.com/2019/06/18/facebook-project-libra-cryptocurrency-fb-coin/

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