After you’ve read the case study “The Power and Politics of Privacy on Social Networking Sites”, the following questions:

• What is your opinion regarding these online privacy issues? 
• To what extent are you concerned about how your personal information on websites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Google is used? 
• Looking back at the section on “political influence tactics”, which tactics did Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg use after he changed the original terms of use in 2009? 
• Of the stakeholders listed in the last paragraph of the case, which group do you think is most powerful in terms of shaping the future direction of online privacy issues?
• Assume that Zuckerberg has hired you as a consultant to help him address the situation. Describe the steps that you would take.

Case Study: The Power and Politics of Privacy on Social Networking Sites Facebook, with an estimated 1.6 billion monthly active users worldwide, SnapChat, with 150 million active users across the globe, and Twitter, with more than 310 million monthly U. S. users, are three of the most popular social networking sites around the world. These companies state that they do not distribute users’ information to third parties. However, advocacy groups concerned about online privacy rights and some users are increasingly wary about how these and other networking sites might be using and whether they are adequately protecting personal information. A common source of discomfort is whether users’ personal information will be used to generate targeted ads directed at them. A recent manifestation of this wariness occurred in 2009, after Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, quietly changed the terms of use that govern how and for how long Facebook can use users’ information posted to the popular website. About two weeks later, the consumer-advocacy blog Consumerist.com highlighted that the change in user policy would allow Facebook to continue to use information posted by users for marketing, promotional, or other purposes even after users had deleted the information from their Facebook accounts. Consumerist.com stated that the change in policy would allow Facebook to do anything it wanted with posted content, for as long as it wanted (even after a user closed his or her Facebook account). Following this realization, many users and consumer privacy advocacy groups railed against the change in terms of use at Facebook. Presumably as a result of the public’s reaction, Zuckerberg declared two weeks after the initial change that the company would return to its original terms of use while the feedback was analyzed. Zuckerberg announced that the company would work on a major revision of the terms and invited users to provide ideas on its website: “Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.” This wasn’t the first time that Facebook experienced problems related to user privacy. In November 2007, Facebook launched an advertising program, Beacon, that was developed to track the purchasing and other activities of Facebook users on 44 websites and then send notifications of these activities to the users’ friends on Facebook. For example, if a user made an online purchase of a book on one of the 44 websites, this would act as an indirect referral to his or her friends on Facebook, which might spur additional purchases of the book. The problem started when a senior research engineer from a Palo Alto–based antispyware company, CA Inc., discovered that Beacon was also “tracking the activities of both members and nonmembers on Facebook and partner sites.” Moreover, the program was set up in such a way that a message would be sent to a user’s friends automatically unless the user figured out how to change his or her preferences on the Facebook website. Within two months of rolling out the Beacon software, CEO Zuckerberg apologized for how the rollout was handled and took steps to increase users’ privacy related to their activities on the partner sites. Zuckerberg is at the cutting edge of the intersection between technology and online privacy. In a recent blog post, he complained that his Facebook users can be inconsistent; on one hand, they want continually expanded services (e.g., more relevant ads and information about their friends), but on the other hand, they expect that their privacy will be protected and their information will not be shared with outside advertisers and third parties. The battle over online privacy does not stop with social networking websites in the United States. Social network users in the 28-nation European Union are protected by strict privacy laws. The regulations “require websites to warn users of privacy risks and limit the sites’ ability to target advertising based on members’ race, religion or other sensitive categories.” In the United Kingdom, privacy activists have reacted to Google’s announcement that it would use “behavioral targeting” to generate display advertising when search results appear on users’ screens. And the British government recently announced it awarded contracts to seven companies to monitor social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other blogs to track keywords, hashtags, and phrases used on these sites—particularly during “crisis situations” or events of heightened public interest. In sum, the debate over online privacy is not going away anytime soon. Several politically influential and powerful stakeholders with different priorities have a stake in the outcome: Users want their personal information protected; social networking companies want to use personal information to generate advertising revenue; advertising firms want to target their products/services to specific market segments; privacy advocacy groups want to limit the disclosure of users’ personal information; technology companies want to facilitate greater information sharing; and governments want to monitor networking websites for signs of malevolent activities.
 

Case Study- The power and Politics of Privacy on Social Media Networking Sites

What is your opinion regarding these online privacy issues?

I think that my personal information on social media sites is less secure now, given that collection of data poses numerous risks compared to the benefits. For example, it is not easy to go through daily life routine without being monitored by either the government or some organizations. Just like several other Americans, the possible risks we face due to data collection by relevant organizations outweigh the benefits. This also applies to data collected by the government. Additionally, I feel that I have no control over how these entities use my personal data which in turn affects the state of privacy. Moreover, I have no confidence that companies are the best bailiffs of the information they collect. For instance, I am not too assured that organizations will accept mistakes and take obligation if they misuse personal data. As a result, I greatly support the people who do not want their personal data shared. Therefore, it would be much better if my data was progressively private because there are things that I would want to accomplish that I do not need anybody to be aware of.

To what extent are you concerned about how your personal information on websites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Google is used?

Nowadays, I am getting worried on how my personal data is being used on websites such as Facebook, Google and Twitter. According to Turow (2003), only close to fourteen percent of American online users who use the web at home trust that the state will assist them to safeguard personal data online while not sharing personal data about them without consent. These organizations repeatedly troll for as well as misuse, personally recognizable and non-personally recognizable data on the internet. For example, they link this basic information with cookie files that records the numerous activities that the registering person has performed online during that session and future sessions. It is crucial to note that, web entities with the help of technologies follow people`s mails and send ads to them even when they are offline without their knowledge (Auxier & Rainie, 2019). This is a breach of one`s privacy because it is used without their permission.

 Furthermore, websites such as Facebook unabashedly gather all the data they can about visitors and market them as belligerently as they can to advertisers as well as other marketers. Notably, tracking people secretly may result to useful targeting which is against the wish of data owners. Many people accentuate the risk that certain types of personal information will fall into the hands of organizations or people who will exploit the customer. Following the passage of the anti-terrorism PATRIOT Act, critics fear that multiple government agencies may increase the tracking and generalizing of consumer information on the internet, which had previously appeared to be the realm of business.

Looking back at the section on “political influence tactics”, which tactics did Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg use after he changed the original terms of use in 2009?

The importance of privacy on social networking platforms cannot be overstated. Facebook's privacy policies were highly rigorous in 2005, and no one could access your profile without your permission. Several years later, the policy was changed. In 2009, if a person does not adjust their privacy settings to prevent everyone from seeing what is on their page, information on their page can be accessed by a third party (non-Facebook users) by simply searching for it on the internet. In response to this, Zuckerberg used discussion tactics when he invited people to share their perspectives on the situation; he used dialogue and enlisted their assistance by allowing them to have a say in the next steps.

Moreover, as Lischka (2019) states, Zuckerberg employed legitimization techniques. When the appeal is founded on genuine or position power, legitimizing strategies are used. This strategy is based on following the rules, laws, and regulations. Its goal is not to encourage people, but to unite them around a common goal. Mark took the unusual step of secretly changing the conditions that control how and for how long Facebook users' information is stored on the popular website. This move would enable Facebook to do whatever it wished with user-posted content for as long as it wished (even if the user's account was deleted). He did all this without alerting his users, assuming that they would just do as he said. In this scenario, I believe users should use caution in what they share.

Of the stakeholders listed in the last paragraph of the case, which group do you think is most powerful in terms of shaping the future direction of online privacy issues?

I believe that among the stakeholders listed, the government is the most powerful in terms of shaping the future direction of online privacy issues. These other stakeholders must follow anything the government says or prohibits, or they risk being closed. For example, the government can say tomorrow, "No more sharing of your users' private information," and they will be forced to comply. Again, the government has the greatest influence on how things are governed. If they believe a threat is brewing on any site, they can enact a new legislation that will affect the site's policy.

Assume that Zuckerberg has hired you as a consultant to help him address the situation. Describe the steps that you would take

As a consultant, I would advise Zuckerberg to follow these steps to assist him in addressing this situation as Davis (2019) states;

1. Limit and safeguard the information you gather about your consumers.
2. Use innovative encryption techniques.
3. Concentrate on long-term trust development.
4. Be open and honest about information discretion.
5. Make it as simple as possible for your customers.

vi. Employees should be educated on data privacy.

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Case Study- The power and Politics of Privacy on Social Media Networking Sites

What is your opinion regarding these online privacy issues?

• My personal information on social media sites is less secure now, given that collection of data poses numerous risks compared to the benefits.
• I feel that I have no control over how these entities use my personal data which in turn affects the state of privacy.
• I have no confidence that companies are the best bailiffs of the information they collect.

To what extent are you concerned about how your personal information on websites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Google is used?

• Nowadays, I am getting worried on how my personal data is being used on websites such as Facebook, Google and Twitter.
• According to Turow (2003), only close to fourteen percent of American online users who use the web at home trust that the state will assist them to safeguard personal data online while not sharing personal data about them without consent.
• Websites such as Facebook unabashedly gather all the data they can about visitors and market them as belligerently as they can to advertisers as well as other marketers.

Looking back at the section on “political influence tactics”, which tactics did Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg use after he changed the original terms of use in 2009?

• Zuckerberg used discussion tactics when he invited people to share their perspectives on the situation; he used dialogue and enlisted their assistance by allowing them to have a say in the next steps.
• Moreover, as Lischka (2019) states, Zuckerberg employed legitimization techniques.

Of the stakeholders listed in the last paragraph of the case, which group do you think is most powerful in terms of shaping the future direction of online privacy issues?

• The government is the most powerful in terms of shaping the future direction of online privacy issues.

Assume that Zuckerberg has hired you as a consultant to help him address the situation. Describe the steps that you would take  

As a consultant, I would advise Zuckerberg to follow these steps to assist him in addressing this situation as Davis (2019) states;

1. Limit and safeguard the information you gather about your consumers.
2. Use innovative encryption techniques.
3. Concentrate on long-term trust development.
4. Be open and honest about information discretion.
5. Make it as simple as possible for your customers.

Employees should be educated on data privacy.