Facebook and the use of Cookies; Are they really protecting you?
By, Ava Djakovich
Have you ever scrolled through Facebook and realized that all of the ads you are shown are oddly specific to things you like? Take it one step further, have you ever browsed through a store online, put something in your shopping cart, and then opened Facebook to see an ad for the exact item that is sitting in your cart! “When it comes to mapping your social connections, no company knows more than Facebook … Facebook is practically impossible to shut out of your life” (Paul, Ian). Facebook uses an analytics tracking system called ‘cookies.’ “Cookies are small text files that are put on users’ devices, such as laptops or smartphones, to facilitate the functionality of a website (functional cookies) or to collect profile information which enables for example targeted advertising (tracking cookies) (Smit, Van Noort, & Voorveld, 2014).” (Strycharz, Joanna).
Facebook has gotten itself into lots of trouble over the years for monitoring their users and using their information without consent. It is a legal standard that websites using cookies alert their users and allow them to accept or deny the use of cookies. “Such cookie notices and consent requests are a good example of the practical implementation of the law. In fact, 62.1% of websites in Europe now display cookie consent notices, 16 percent points more than before the GDPR entered into force” (Strycharz, Joanna). When the user can decide on what happens to their information, most people will deny cookies access. What are these cookies collecting so much information for? Companies use cookies to collect user data and monetize it.
A concept called ‘pay-for-privacy’ is a way for companies to charge users if they want to avoid ads or having their data gathered. However, those who do consent to having their data gathered receive markdowns on the content they are viewing or purchasing (Elvy, Stacy-Ann). Companies are not only using phones and computers to track user data, but they are also using any device that qualifies under the umbrella term the ‘Internet of Things.’ The IOT is, “a network of connected devices— presents new opportunities for data brokers and other businesses to col- lect real-time and increasingly detailed data about the habits, lives, and activities of consumers” (Elvy, Stacy-Ann). The IOT provides a gateway for companies to monetize user data for their benefit. The idea of turning the user’s privacy into a marketable product has to at some point strike a moral code.
Facebook has been known for its past actions in user privacy. The social media platform has a specific algorithm that monitors what kind of content you view, how long you view it for, as well as how you interact with it. From there the algorithm can decide what kind of content will appear in your media feed. “[I]n a bid to come to a better understanding of whether emotions were “contagious” across its platform, it had run a massive and undisclosed behavioral experiment on its users by manipulating what they saw in their News Feeds” (Paul, Ian). Facebook was responsible for censoring what millions of users should be free to view on their platform. The company abides by an “ask for forgiveness, not permission” policy. This means they violate privacy violations and then apologize later to reassure their consumers that their information is under safekeeping (Paul, Ian).
Facebook faced its largest scandal yet in 2018. Under a UK-based company called Cambridge Analytica, over 50 million Facebook users had their profiles tattered to create political ads for the Republican Presidential Primary. “[F]or years Facebook had made it easy for third par- ties to gain access to users’ information despite the fact that the company had literally agreed not to do so in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission in 2011” (Paul, Ian). Facebook had violated several privacy regulations and the Cambridge Analytica scandal just proved that the company had not made any adjustments to protect their users’ data.
This scandal had been in the works since 2015, the data gathered for the Republican Presidential Primary took place in 2016 and somehow Facebook was not exposed until 2018. As far as personal data collection, a record from Facebook’s time on Capitol Hill shows “Facebook collected Android users' call logs and messages without most users' knowledge” (Face-off). This is an extreme invasion of privacy. This begs the question, what else is Facebook monitoring? “Cambridge Analytica is just the first of many outfits that receive scrutiny and media attention. According to someone close to the firm, the social-networking giant is already aware that Cambridge Analytica is only one of many outside groups with political motivations that stealthily gained access to detailed data about Facebook users” (Face-off).
It took a few years before people were able to discover that Facebook had been breaching privacy policies. They always promise to clean up their act and make a reform, but somehow, they seldom do. The social media network though great for connecting people keeps a wary eye over its users. The Cambridge Analytica scandal has proven itself to be the FTC’s most expensive privacy breach, fining the company close to 2 billion dollars (Face-off). So, the next time you go on Facebook, try to pay closer attention to the ads on your feed or the content that shows up on the suggested page. It is not a coincidence that you are seeing anything that might pique your interest on Facebook.
SOURCES
Elvy, Stacy-Ann. “Paying for Privacy and the Personal Data Economy.” Columbia Law Review, vol. 117, no. 6, Oct. 2017, pp. 1369–1459. EBSCOhost, search-ebscohost-com.authenticate.library.duq.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=afh&AN=133451464&site=ehost-live.
"Face-off; Mr Zuckerberg goes to Washington." The Economist, vol. 427, no. 9087, 14 Apr. 2018, p. 22(US). Gale In Context: Biography, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A534371637/BIC?u=pl3834&sid=BIC&xid=fe4a76ce. Accessed 3 May 2021.
PAUL, IAN. “Must-Know Privacy Tips for Facebook and More.” PCWorld, vol. 32, no. 1, Jan. 2014, pp. 24–28. EBSCOhost, search-ebscohost-com.authenticate.library.duq.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=afh&AN=94003055&site=ehost-live.
Rosen, Christine. “What Is To Be Done About Facebook? An Account of Its Rise, Its Practices, Its Manipulations, Its Apologies, Its Determination to Dominate--with Some Tough Suggestions about Its Future.” Commentary, vol. 148, no. 1, July 2019, pp. 12–23. EBSCOhost, search-ebscohost-com.authenticate.library.duq.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=afh&AN=137123316&site=ehost-live
Strycharz, Joanna, et al. “No to Cookies: Empowering Impact of Technical and Legal Knowledge on Rejecting Tracking Cookies.” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 120, July 2021, p. N.PAG. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.chb.2021.106750.
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