Social Media and Online Privacy

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Challenge 1: Social Media and Online Privacy
Although social media use continues to connect people worldwide, concerns about users' privacy on various social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have spiked public debate. Data breach incidents have alarmed many users, forcing them to question the security of personal information. A study by the Pew Trust reported that over 80% of social media users wonder how businesses and advertisers access and use their social media posts (Albulayhi & El Khediri, 2022). These increasing privacy concerns have called for stricter regulations. They have also placed various social media companies under intense scrutiny.
Based on the social media audit conducted, one of the possible threats to privacy on social media is data mining. Everyone leaves a data trail behind on the internet (Alalawi & Al-Jenaibi, 2016). Every time a social media user creates a new account, they provide personal information such as name, birthday, personal interests, and geographic location. Once the user willingly agrees to the company’s terms and conditions, the data belongs to the firm. Social media companies can store this data to create an accurate user profile and serve user-targeted adverts (Saravanakumar & Deepa, 2016). Sometimes, these firms share users' information with third-party entities without the user's consent. They may also use the user's photos or other information in their campaigns.
Another is privacy settings loopholes. Changing privacy settings does not guarantee privacy. Most of the time, something a user shares with friends gives allows the friends to share with others. The friends can then view the posted content, which might not be the user’s intention. Some of these friends may lack stringent privacy policies, giving other people access to information needed to stay within a smaller circle. The same applies to closed forums and social groups. Page et al. (2022) determined that insurance companies and employers can easily search and discover comments and user lists in Facebook’s private health groups. Therefore, a user must think twice before posting or commenting about controversial issues. That post or comment could ruin a user's reputation or result in identity theft.
Another privacy issue is location settings. Users must pay attention to location settings when using social media platforms. Some social media sites and applications might track a user’s whereabouts even after restricting location. The user's location may not be valuable data, but it can help create a more accurate user profile when paired with personal information. Real-life stalkers and thieves could also use location data to track their targets.
Another issue is hacking. Hacking is a common security vulnerability in Facebook and other social media companies. Many accounts are prone to malicious activities by malicious people who illegally penetrate a user’s account and use it to cone people. Many social media users have been victims of hacking despite changing their passwords and privacy settings. Hackers use various techniques, such as ...