PRIVACY AND CORPORATE GIANTS

Answer

PRIVACY AND CORPORATE GIANTS

There has been a lot of focus on Facebook in the recent past because of the issues of data and breach of privacy. In specific, in the period leading to the 2016 US presidential elections, it is believed that there was data breach of 87 million users.^[1] However, Facebook is not the only corporate giant that falls under scrutiny when it comes to privacy questions. Google stores more information about its users than Facebook. However, despite Google being a corporate entity of concern, it tends to go unnoticed because of not only the size of the company in the corporate sector, but also the lack of knowledge from the users about how their data may be used for commercial purposes without their knowledge or consent.^[2] Although the public is concerned about the privacy of their data, they are too trusting of the corporate giants such as Facebook and Google who betray that trust and use personal details of the users without their authorizations.^[3] The future of data privacy, especially for the information collected and stored by companies such as Google and Facebook, will see users being apprehensive of giving their personal information to those companies. In Canada, data privacy is one of the aspects which corporate giants are expected to observe. However, I personally believe that the big corporate giants act with impunity when it comes to the protection of the data of their users. This paper provides a discussion of how corporate giants perpetuate a breach of privacy by using their users’ data without getting their consent.

What Do Google And Facebook Know About Its Users?

Google and Facebook store a lot of information about their users without them even realizing it. For instance, Google stores the location if a user has the location tracking turned on every time that they have their phones turned on.^[4] As such, users can see their timeline from the first time that they started using Google. Apart from the location, Google knows the search history of its users across all their devices. As such, even if a user deleted their search history and phone history on one of their devices, they might as well as have their data saved from another of their devices that they use. The personal information that Google collects from its users, such as their age, gender, where they live, and even where they work is used to create an advertisement profile.^[5] Such a profile is used to enable advertisers to use Google and Facebook to target specific customers and clientele.^[6] Google even knowns the events that its users attended and when based on the Google Calendar. On Facebook, the social media application stores everything about its users from their login location to their stickers.^[7] Additionally, every application that a user has ever used to connect to their Facebook account is stored. The storages of such information imply that Google and Facebook know almost everything about its users and thus can use the information they have stored in various ways.  

Although Facebook’s data privacy breach was noticed and even founder Mark Zuckerberg interviewed by the US Congress on the issue, Google is a corporate entity which has concerns over data privacy concerns but goes unnoticed. For instance, the Wall Street Journal reported that in the period between 2015 and 2018, there was a vulnerability in the Google+ social network which led to the exposure of the personal data of up to 500,000 people. Surprisingly, Google never disclosed the vulnerability after fixing it because of the fear of attracting regulatory scrutiny from the lawmakers. In fact, the then CEO of the company; Sundar Pichai, was given a brief of the decision not to disclose the breach after an internal committee ruled against any decision not to divulge the findings. The violation of data and privacy occurred when Google conducted an internal review dubbed “Project Strobe,” which sought to examine whether third-party software developers could access user data from Google. Even Facebook revealed the breach after Cambridge Analytica scandal which threatened to put further scrutiny on the company. However, Google has drawn much controversy over the practices that it used in the collection of user data. For instance, in July 2018, the employees of third-party email apps were reported to be able to read emails of those third-party applications were integrated with the Gmail accounts of Google. Additionally, later on, the Associated Press reported that Google could even track their users;’ locations even when their phones’ location history setting had been turned off. Despite those reports, no actions have been taken against the company.

I think that the political class is too fearful of the likes of Google and Facebook and thus have failed to pass any laws and enact policies which would protect the data of the users. Notably, when Facebook reported that there were massive breaches of data which was used by the Cambridge Analytica to help the then-candidate Donald Trump in the 2016 general elections, the political class stated that there was no punishment which could be meted out to the company’s top managers because there were no existing laws which could allow for sanctions.^[8] The reason for the failure to impose actions is apparent. Since the political actors rely on the two platforms for their campaigns and spread of propaganda, they are afraid that any actions they take would have adverse consequences to their campaigns in the next elections. It is only the Irish Data Protection Commission which took the initiative to start investigations seeking to look into whether to open a formal probe.^[9] However, since the Data Protection Commission (DPC) made the statement about the possibility of Facebook and Google being fined $1.63 billion; if the companies are found to have breached data privacy regulations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, no specific actions have been taken ever since.^[10] The lack of investigations and sanctions implies that not even the political class is willing to be seen to be attacking the two corporate giants. Notably, were the breaches done by an average company, then it is possible that it would have been hit with one sanction after the other. The giants are being feared, and no agency or country is willing to make them accountable for the breach of the data privacy of the users.

Privacy, as we know it, is not only any longer a social norm but also dead. Notably, McNealy and Zuckerberg have explicitly stated that people do not want privacy. According to Scott McNealy, “Privacy is dead,” and it is better that people get over it.^[11] Similarly, Zuckerberg argued that “People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information,”^[12] which makes privacy to be no longer a social norm that it used to be in the past. The rise of social media has not only come with much disclosure about people’s personal lives but also is a reflection of the changing attitudes among the ordinary people. In the last few years, there has been a radical change from when people used to keep their personal information and issues to themselves to a period where people want to put their information on the internet or a website. However, what the two did not appreciate is the fact that; by people giving their personal details to either Facebook or Google, they do not intend that such information should be shared without their consent. However, the assertions by the top CEO of Facebook that people do not want privacy is meant to justify Facebook’s and Google’s action of using their users’ information for their gains.^[13] For instance, using users’ data for targeted advertisements without them having agreed to such a term has killed privacy. The statement that privacy is dead is meant also justify the Facebooks recent and highly controversial decision which saw changes being made to 350 million users.^[14] Zuckerberg wants to act with impunity and fail to adhere to the line between private and public information. The actions and statements of the top CEO of the corporate giants stating that people do not want privacy makes it dead.

In an area where issues of data privacy breaches have been reported in unprecedented ways, the public is even more concerned about their privacy. In November 2017, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) conducted a survey which interviewed more than 52,00 households with questions being asked about online privacy and security. However, three-quarters of those surveyed stated that they had various concerns about only privacy as well as security risks.^[15] Additionally, research conducted by the Pew Research Center reveals that people are anxious about their personal information collected and stored as well as the security of such data. In a study conducted in 2014, 91% of Americans surveyed agreed that people had lost control of how their personal information is collected and used by corporate giants.^[16] Additionally, 80 percent of the users of social media argued that they were concerned about advertisers and business entities accessing the data that they shared in different online platforms.^[17] Moreover, 64 percent of the respondents stated that the government should do more to regulate the advertisers.^[18] Surprisingly, half of Americans in the study did not trust that the federal government or even the social media sites could adequately protect their data. People did not even have an understanding of the nature and scope of the data collected from them by Google and Facebook. Such statistics illustrate that the public is concerned about the privacy of their information. However, they cannot trust their governments or the companies to ensure the safety, privacy, and security of their personal data.

The future holds so much about the measures which will be taken by the corporate giants as well as the government of respective countries to combat the various data privacy breaches. The future will only be suitable for those companies who are privacy complaint. With the increased passage of data protection laws such as the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), which apply to both resident companies and non-resident companies of the EU, then; in the future, companies will be forced to ensure that they are compliant with such laws.^[19] Additionally, there will be changes in the future about how data is both obtained and shared. Notably, currently, there is excitement; especially in the blockchain community, about the decentralization of identity solutions such as Sovrin, uPort, SelfKey, and Civic. These companies have devised various business models whereby the users are paid for giving out their data. For instance, CitizenMe is an organization that pays users to answer quizzes about themselves.^[20] Additionally, in Bing, people are paid in points once they use the search engine. There is a possibility that; in the future, there will be a decentralized ID system which will leave no room for failure. Moreover, Microsoft has started to build a spec for such a future. The basis for such a system is the fact that identity has been increasingly exposed to breaches, which affect not only the social but also the professional and financial lives of the victims.^[21] The growth in the amount of data that is produced and shared online with continue to grow, which will lead to the future seeing increased regulations.

The Canadian perspective, just like that of a majority of western countries, is that corporate giants should be more responsible and ensure that they protect the online data provided by users. The Canadian marketing association (CMA) has been responding to the consumer concerns about data privacy and breach of the same via the adoption of proactive measures in consultation with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.^[22] A global study conducted in 10 countries by Foresight Factory in 2017 shows that 77 percent of Canadians are concern about their online privacy.^[23] However, more than half of the Canadians (55 percent) believe that the disclosure of personal information has become increasingly part of contemporary life.^[24] Moreover, another 35 percent is of the view that the exchange of personal data is vital for the smooth running of society. Out of the 35 percent, 45 percent of those in agreement with such a position are millennials. To reinforce the changing perspectives of Canadian society, the country has adopted new privacy rules which are meant to ensure a better safeguard of personal data of the people.^[25] The law dubbed Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), among other things, demand that Canadian companies should alert their customers any time that there is a breach of their online data. However, much of the sections of the law prevent breaches and ensure that appropriate mitigation measures are taken even after the breach. For instance, the law makes it a requirement for companies to keep accurate data about the various cybersecurity safeguards they have adopted for two years.

Personally, I believe that the issue of online privacy and data breaches by corporate giants is not being taken seriously by all the players involved. The fact that companies such as Google and Facebook could see violations made and fail to even apologize to the users is impunity of the highest degree. Additionally, the failure by regulatory agencies and political actors to take active steps against those who are found in breach of online data privacy means that a lot is needed to be done in the future. In specific, I can envisage a situation in the future where the corporate giants will face competition from upcoming organizations who will be formed for the sole purpose of buying personal informatization and using it for targeted advertisements. The fact that social media applications are free to use does not entitle Google and Facebook to use users’ information as they deem fit. In the future, even more stringent laws are likely to be passed by governments in the quest to ensure that the impunity that the corporate giants have acted with is regulated. I personally believe that the users as well as their governments, fear the corporate giants and are apprehensive that taking any measures against them would be detrimental to them. Big government issues are also to blame for the unaddressed breaches of data.  However, going forward, not only will the corporate giants feel more responsible but will be for forced by the laws which will be created. Additionally, privacy is likely to be taken more seriously, with more cybersecurity measures being devised to safeguard the online data of users.

Conclusion

            Google and Facebook store a lot of information about their users, including their locations, events they attended, and search histories, among other things. Such information has been used by the corporate giants in targeted advertisements. Although Facebook has been under scrutiny due to the recent data breaches involving Cambridge Analytica, Google has been a corporate entity of concern but often go unnoticed. Governments and regulators are too fearful of the likes of Facebook and Google and are apprehensive about taking drastic measures against the companies even after they are found to have overseen the breach of online privacy of their users. Thanks to McNealy and Zuckerberg, privacy is no longer a social norm and can be considered dead in contemporary society. Although the public is concerned about privacy, most of the users of Facebook and Google have resigned to the idea that sharing their information online exposes their privacy. In the future, more focus will likely be on how the personal information collected and stored by the corporate giants will be bought and used for marketing purposes. The Canadian perspective is that the privacy of online user data should be upheld. As such, the Canadian government has adopted policies and laws which seek to protect such privacy. Personally, I believe that corporate giants should do more towards ensuring the protection of online privacy. Additionally, regulators should not be afraid of taking measures against those organizations found to have breached the privacy of their users’ data.

[1] Richard, Nieva. “Unreported Google data exposure affects hundreds of thousands: report.” CNBC News. (2018). https://www.cbsnews.com/news/google-data-exposure-unreported-affects-hundreds-of-thousands-2018-10-08-live-updates/

[2] Ibid.

[3] CBC News. “New privacy rules will force Canadian companies to disclose data breaches.” (2018). https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/pipeda-privacy-data-1.4886061

[4] Martin, Nicole “How Much Does Google Really Know About You? A lot.” Forbes. (2018). https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolemartin1/2019/03/11/how-much-does-google-really-know-about-you-a-lot/#4c4d96227f5d

[5] Dylan, Curran. "Are you ready? Here is all the data Facebook and Google have on you." The Guardian 30 (2018). https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/28/all-the-data-facebook-google-has-on-you-privacy

[6] Richard, Nieva. “Unreported Google data exposure affects hundreds of thousands: report.” CNBC News. (2018). https://www.cbsnews.com/news/google-data-exposure-unreported-affects-hundreds-of-thousands-2018-10-08-live-updates/

[7] Ibid.

[8] Arjun, Kharpal. “Facebook could face up to $1.6 billion in fines over data breach as regulators eye formal probe.” CNBC. (2018). https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/02/facebook-data-breach-social-network-could-face-eu-fine.html

[9] Ibid.

[10] Arjun, Kharpal. “Facebook could face up to $1.6 billion in fines over data breach as regulators eye formal probe.” CNBC. (2018). https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/02/facebook-data-breach-social-network-could-face-eu-fine.html

[11] Nicholas A., John, and Peters Benjamin. "Why privacy keeps dying: the trouble with talk about the end of privacy." Information, Communication & Society 20, no. 2 (2017): 284.

[12] Bobbie, Johnson. "Privacy no longer a social norm, says Facebook founder." The Guardian 11, no. 01 (2010). https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/jan/11/facebook-privacy

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Daniel, Castro, and Alan, McQuinn. “Most Americans Are Not That Concerned About Online Privacy.” Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (2018). https://itif.org/publications/2018/08/22/most-americans-are-not-concerned-about-online-privacy

[16] Lee, Rainie. "Americans' complicated feelings about social media in an era of privacy concerns." The Pew Research Center (2018). https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/27/americans-complicated-feelings-about-social-media-in-an-era-of-privacy-concerns/

[17] Ibid.

[18] Ibid.

[19] Mike, Schmidt. “What Does the Future of Data Privacy Look Like?” Forbes. (2018). https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/11/13/what-does-the-future-of-data-privacy-look-like/#7e1a64001da7

[20] Cathy, Mputhia. “Future belongs to data privacy compliant firms.” Business Daily. (2019). https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/lifestyle/pfinance/Future-belongs-to-data-privacy/4258410-5060574-14q5wvj/index.html

[21] Ibid.

[22] Canadian Marketing Association. “Data Privacy Study: What the Canadian Consumer Really Thinks.”  CMS. (2018). https://www.the-cma.org/about/blog/data-privacy-study_what-the-canadian-consumer-really-thinks

[23] CBC News. “New privacy rules will force Canadian companies to disclose data breaches.” (2018). https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/pipeda-privacy-data-1.4886061

[24] Ibid.

[25] CBC News. “New privacy rules will force Canadian companies to disclose data breaches.” (2018). https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/pipeda-privacy-data-1.4886061

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