While it is the largest social networking service company today in the world with over a billion users, Facebook is no stranger to controversies. Banned in countries like China, the social media giant has some proving to do to its loyal fan base now.
With the current state of affairs, we are now raising the question if this is truly what Facebook stands for. The shocking revelations over the period of past few months are slowly but steadily unmasking the bitter truths and cruel intentions of this social media giant founded by Mark Zuckerberg in the year 2004.
Is it just a platform where people post pictures, memes and troll each other or is it running a disastrous mission of breaching the private lives of its users under its the blue and white covers? How can we rely on a platform that collects all our information, from our birth date to our interests to our life events, and sells it to third parties to make money?
Is it a viable business model and more importantly, is it morally correct?
Edward Snowden’s Tweet
Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor and CIA employee who was popularised by his courage to expose the flawed security systems as well as the Grammy Awards nominee movie ‘Snowden’.
In his tweet, he stated that how Facebook, in reality, is a surveillance company which has rebranded itself as a social media platform. The lines from his tweet dated March 18, 2018 stated just how businesses that take in personal information in the name of social media to make money were previously branded as ‘surveillance companies’ and that the move is same as the Department of War becoming the Department of Defence.
This display of disgust by Edward Snowden was a result of Facebook suspending its services with Cambridge Analytica when they refused to comply with their demands. The details of the private lives of all the Facebook users are not just limited to what they post. They are, in fact, just the tip of the iceberg. The intricacies of this scam are deep and convoluted, far beyond the understanding of the common man. “They are not victims. They are accomplices” is what Snowden stated in his second tweet posted on the same day.
The Mysterious Ventures By Facebook
We all take immense pride and joy in posting pictures as well as our raw opinions on Facebook. Adding many people to our friend list, even strangers at times, we watch our circle grow bigger and bigger. But with this shocking revelation regarding Facebook, it is time to raise our voices against the breach of our privacy. The world was taken aback by this news but millions of people still continue to use Facebook with more and more users pouring in every day.
While networking or making friends isn’t a bad idea, the thought that information about our livesm including our likes and dislikes as well as our habits could get into hands of people we know nothing about is disturbing indeed.
