A series of revelations published last week in the international press show how Cambridge Analytica, a British company that uses the analysis of data collected through social networks to conduct political influence campaigns, used "loopholes" in Facebook's privacy policies to obtain data. personal and history of 50 million users, presumably most of the United States. The data was then used in the campaign of current US President Donald Trump for the 2016 presidential election.
The case also has ramifications in Romania, where SCL, a Cambridge Analytica affiliate, has set up a subsidiary since 2011, according to RISE Project.
The scandal quickly turned against Facebook. Reactions followed from activists, politicians and government institutions. Shares of the company fell 14 percent this week, causing a $ 75 billion loss on paper from the capitalization of the largest social network.
The hashtag #deletefacebook - an urge to delete the social media account launched by one of the founders of WhatsApp - went viral and was amplified at the end of the week by Elon Musk, when the billionaire deactivated the Facebook accounts of Tesla and SpaceX.
On Sunday, Ars Technica, one of the most respected technology news sites, revealed that Facebook has been collecting data on calls made from users' Android smartphones for several years. If you've had an Android phone and used Facebook apps, the social network knows when and with whom you've talked and exchanged text messages.
The fact that free online services are "paid" with personal information that helps companies advertise more effectively is a generally accepted reality in the digital age. When used to help Samsung sell phones, these practices are harmless. However, used in election campaigns or in mass manipulation projects, the information gathered by personal data vacuum cleaners such as Facebook becomes weapons and endangers democracy and the rule of law.
It is worth mentioning that billionaire Peter Thiel, CEO of the data analysis company Palantir, is a member of the Facebook board. Palantir is a data analytics software developer and is one of the largest software and intelligence providers in the United States Department of Defense and Secret Service.
It seems like a good time to re-evaluate priorities in terms of how users teach Facebook, through the company's various services and applications, personal data and information about their day-to-day business.
Facebook's explanations of the privacy policy can be read here.
This page, which is not available in Romanian, contains an exhaustive list of the types of information that Facebook collects about its users, as well as a series of explanations regarding the various tools provided by the social network to manage your data. .
How to find out what Facebook knows about you
To find out what information Facebook has gathered about you, click on settings, then at the bottom of the page, click Download a copy of your Facebook data. The data will be downloaded as a .zip file and can be viewed offline.
How to delete your Facebook account
To deactivate or delete your Facebook account, go to Settings, then click Edit next to 'Manage your account'. From the menu that opens, click Deactivate your account.
A deactivated account can be reactivated at any time and keeps all the user data collected until the deactivation option has been accessed, including your friends list and messages.
Account deletion is permanent, but takes longer. To delete your Facebook account, go to the Delete Account page and follow the instructions there. The account will be deactivated first, and its deletion will be canceled if you log in to the social network during the "grace period". Effective deletion of personal data from Facebook servers can take up to 90 days.