Coincidental?

COINCIDENTAL? NOT!

Have you ever wondered why when you type something into a search bar online, you are later bombarded by products that fit that search? Or, when you are talking to a friend about buying a new car or some cool new shoes, you suddenly see thousands of YouTube videos, Google ads, and mobile ads related to “new cars that are popular with Baby Boomers”, or “comfortable shoes for seniors”? NO, this is not just coincidence! This is a very sophisticated mechanism to target the ads to people like us, who provide personal information while using digital technologies and are unaware of how this information is being used.

On Facebook (Meta) we include our name, age, and location, as well as a lot of photos of ourselves, friends and family. This information is stored in a database and each person has a “file”!

Is this Legal to Share our Personal Information?

In the beginning of Facebook (around 2003-2004) the Privacy Policy specifically stated your information would not be shared. But in March of 2018, a scandal exposed Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, after discovering that Facebook sold personal information of 87 million Facebook users, without their consent. The scandal involved the harvesting of personal data by Cambridge Analytica through a personality quiz app. This data was then used for political advertising and targeting. Yes, that is correct! 

The story broke in March 2018 with reports in two U.S. newspapers. Both media outlets revealed that Cambridge Analytica had acquired data from millions of Facebook users without their consent. Their claims said this data was then used for political advertising and targeting. 

Facebook faced consequences for its improper handling of user data and was heavily criticized by the public for allowing the political consulting firm to improperly access the personal data of millions of Facebook users. Facebook faced lawsuits and congressional hearings, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg eventually testifying before Congress. Facebook and its fraudulent privacy practices caused millions of users to cancel their accounts, and their stock dropped significantly. This discovery also led to investigations by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other regulatory bodies. Ultimately, Facebook paid a record-breaking $5 billion settlement with the FTC. Unfortunately, the 87 million users (me and you) did not see a dime of that money, but suffered the consequences anyway.