As if the issue of social media companies like Facebook spying on its users is not known enough, the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal set the suspicion to higher gear, consequently putting the social media’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, in a heat of inquiries from the Congress.
However, it is not just the social media platform itself per se that is the root of the problem but of the involvement of a third-party company (Cambridge Analytica) in tapping to what would otherwise be private user data as supposedly safeguarded by Facebook.
Pressed for an answer, Zuckerberg admitted to the idea of the platforms extended capability in gathering significant information even from those who are not necessarily registered users of the platform “for security reasons.”
Simply stated, any website that has the social media’s functionality—such as apparently enough, the iconic “Like” button—such platform has a way of sending out user information even if the user itself is not logged to Facebook nor has a Facebook account at all.
See also: How to deactivate or permanently delete your Facebook account
In another case, it was also revealed that other people you may know online has a way of disclosing information about other persons even without directly referring to them by names. For instance, a simple contact number used to connect with you online is enough information to point whom it is referred to by it.
In light of this problem, it does not come as a surprise that the #DeleteFacebook movement has gained traction since the issue arose. But with Facebook’s clutches extending in places more than it should, the effort is rendered meaningless.
Source: Facebook