Facebook’s Leak: Connection to the Cambridge Analytical Scandal

Facebook’s Leak
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Facebook Connection to the Cambridge Analytica Scandal and the Decision it took
A critical situation facebook experienced was the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The scandal was about how Kogan retrieved personal data from Facebook operators and shared it to Cambridge Analytica through his Global Science Research company (Osborne & Hannah Jane Parkinson, 2018). Cambridge Analytica has been accused of using dirty deceptions to brandish elections. Generally, the scandal could harm facebook’s reputation since the company is responsible for protecting its customers’ data. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, responded to the revelation of the scandal and deduced that they have a responsibility to protect their customers’ data failure to which they don’t deserve to serve them (BBC, 2018). He stated that they were working to understand how data was retrieved from the platform. However, the United States and British authorities had asked for his testimony before the congress and a parliamentary committee even before he made the statements. The CEO agreed to a single interview with CNN and announced that the company was taking various steps to protect personal data for its users. The company announced the introduction of a new privacy shortcut menu where customers could control their data simply and with vivid explanations on how the controls work.
Consequences of Their Decisions
At this point, Facebook users’ primary concern was to know whether or not the company was aware of the operations and whether it was straightforward or innocent concerning the developers’ actions. Reports indicate that the Cambridge Analytica scandal significantly impacted Facebook and seven internet giants who lost a quarter billion euros due to the revelations (Simón, 2018). Also, the company took a hit on the stock market, losing 18%. It is evident that investors were frightened and fleed so that tighter regulations could be implemented. The Cambridge Analytica infamy resulted in a call for introducing rules and regulations that govern prominent players making a living by harvesting individuals’ data from social media. In addition, it has led to a trust gap between folks and social media companies.
Steps Facebook Should Have Taken Regarding the Revelation.
After the Cambridge analytical scandal went viral, Facebook should have taken the following steps. First, the company should have monitored the ongoing situation and analysis. After the new york times and the guardian published the breaking stories, preliminary damage control should have been performed on its internal evaluation aspects indicated in the crisis management plan. A comprehensive evaluation should give a complete program on handling one of the most critical risks that can affect a company like Facebook, which is data exposure. At ...