Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018, it was revealed that the data marketing firm had obtained personal data from over 87 million Facebook users without their consent and used it for political marketing. This incident brought Facebook’s (now Meta) data privacy practices under intense scrutiny. Despite promises to strengthen data protection, privacy concerns have persisted. This raises an important question: can users truly trust Meta to safeguard their personal information?
Popular social media platforms under Meta, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, have faced investigations and lawsuits worldwide. These legal challenges indicate that significant work remains before users can fully trust tech giants like Meta with their personal data (Terranova Security, 2023). The repeated privacy breaches highlight the ongoing struggle between corporate profit and user protection.
How Facebook Collects Information
Facebook gathers data from multiple sources. Beyond the information users actively provide, the platform tracks interactions such as likes, comments, time spent on posts, messaging patterns, and even video-watching behavior (e.g., whether the sound is on or off). This data enables Facebook to analyze behavior, predict interests, and create detailed user profiles for targeted advertising and content personalization. The depth of this surveillance means that Facebook knows more about users than they might realize.
However, data collection is not always beneficial to users. Third-party applications have exploited this information. For instance, during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Cambridge Analytica used a third-party app to harvest data from tens of millions of users, including their friend lists, without explicit consent. This event highlighted how easily personal data could be weaponized for manipulation and misinformation.
Facebook has also incorporated biometric technology. Through its DeepFace AI, it analyzed user photos to enable facial recognition features, such as automatic tagging and user alerts when their images appeared online. While convenient, this technology has sparked significant privacy debates (Williams, 2021). The use of AI in facial recognition raises ethical concerns about surveillance and data security.
Facebook’s Privacy Issues Over the Years
Since its inception, Facebook has faced multiple privacy controversies, including:
- 2006 News Feed Introduction: Users opposed automatic sharing of activities, but Facebook retained it as a core feature. This was an early example of how user feedback was often ignored in favor of engagement-driven features.
- 2007 Beacon Ad Controversy: Purchase data was shared with friends without consent, leading to a backlash. Mark Zuckerberg later apologized and introduced an opt-out feature. However, this showed Facebook’s tendency to implement controversial features first and address concerns later.
- 2011 FTC Settlement: Facebook agreed to 20 years of privacy assessments by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) due to violations. This agreement set a precedent for government oversight in tech privacy.
- 2013 Security Bug: A glitch exposed 6 million users’ email addresses and phone numbers before it was patched. The breach reinforced concerns about Facebook’s ability to protect sensitive user data.
- 2014 Emotion Manipulation Experiment: Facebook manipulated posts for over 500,000 users to study emotional responses, raising ethical concerns. This experiment revealed how social media algorithms could influence mental well-being without users’ knowledge.
- 2015 App Data Access Restrictions: Facebook restricted app access to user data but failed to prevent misuse of previously collected information. This demonstrated that policy changes often came too late to prevent damage.
- 2018 Cambridge Analytica Scandal: Over 50 million users’ data was collected and misused for political purposes, leading to widespread criticism and legal action. The scandal became a turning point in the global discussion about digital privacy.
- 2021 GDPR Fine: Meta was fined €225 million for WhatsApp’s failure to comply with EU transparency rules regarding user data handling. This emphasized the growing regulatory pressure on Meta’s data practices.
- 2023 Record EU Fine: Meta received a €1.2 billion fine for violating GDPR regulations by transferring European users’ data to the U.S. without adequate safeguards (European Data Protection Board, 2023). This was the largest fine of its kind, demonstrating the serious consequences of non-compliance.
Despite these controversies, Meta continues to expand, and concerns over privacy protection persist. The company’s business model remains reliant on collecting vast amounts of user data for targeted advertising.
Conclusion
In response to regulatory pressure and public criticism, Meta has enhanced security measures and updated some policies. However, privacy concerns remain unresolved. This situation underscores the need for stricter regulations, increased transparency, and greater user control over personal data. Without these measures, the cycle of privacy violations and public outrage is likely to continue.
As governments and regulators worldwide scrutinize Meta’s data practices, the debate over digital privacy and corporate responsibility will continue. To regain consumer trust and sustain long-term success, robust privacy protections are essential. Only through meaningful action and accountability can Meta rebuild its reputation in an increasingly privacy-conscious world.
References
Newcomb, A., 2018. A timeline of Facebook’s privacy issues — and its responses. [online] NBC News. Available at: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/timeline-facebook-s-privacy-issues-its-responses-n859651 [Accessed 15 March. 2025].
Terranova Security, 2023. Is Your Personal Data Safe on Meta’s Social Media Platforms? | Terranova Security. [online] www.terranovasecurity.com. Available at: https://www.terranovasecurity.com/blog/data-privacy-scandal-facebook [Accessed 8 March. 2025].
Williams, L., 2021. What Kind of Data Does Facebook Collect? [online] Boldist. Available at: https://boldist.co/analytics/facebook-data-collection/ [Accessed 8 March. 2025].
