Mark Zuckerberg is laying out an idea for Facebook’s future focused on privacy. What about the business model?
If there’s a single decision Facebook has repeatedly made over the last 15 years, it is that it has emphasized growth more than privacy. The users were always incentivized to make more data public than they felt comfortable with. The settings for making things public were often more user-friendly than the ones that made things private. Information was collected that you had no idea was being collected and distributed in ways you weren’t aware would be used. Sometimes, data was suddenly published in one go. They were the choice of a young man confident in himself and the reputation of Internet users. These were the decisions of someone building an advertising company based on the accumulation of innumerable information.
Today, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, has turned 34. He’s a prominent person who is frequently criticized in the media as well as by politicians across the globe. He has two kids and a home that he blocks out of view, and a camera cover for your laptop’s camera. He’s also witnessed his company being criticized for not respecting its users’ privacy concerns. He’s observed how the system he designed to create a world that is more open and connected could also be employed by racists, harassers, and trolls, as well as bullies along with Vladimir Putin. The company’s reputation has deteriorated as the company’s growth on its main website has slowed, and employees’ morale has dipped. It’s an ideal time to make a shift.
So on Wednesday morning, Facebook pressed its emergency brakes, removed the steering wheel, and changed gears. Zuckerberg wrote a 3000-word essay that outlines “a privacy-focused strategy” of his business. “Public social media continue to be significant in people’s lives–for being able to connect with your friends as well as for introducing new people to concepts and information, and also giving individuals a greater voice,” Zuckerberg wrote. “But today, with the numerous ways that people prefer to communicate privately, There’s an opportunity to create a simpler platform that focuses on the privacy of users first.”
In the article, Zuckerberg made many promises regarding enhancing security on Facebook and Instagram and keeping servers away from dictatorial countries whose officials seek to monitor their citizens. He also emphasized the need to reduce the “permanence” of messages or stories. Everyone wants their photos of bongs to be kept from circulated when applying for job openings. Zuckerberg also detailed how Facebook will combine three messaging platforms: Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct, and WhatsApp. The three platforms, according to Zuckerberg, are interoperable, but they will not be merged. “With the ability to send messages across our platforms,” he wrote, “you’d be capable of sending encrypted messages to a number on WhatsApp via Messenger.” That’s the same way encryption from end to end will be available across three platforms, even though privacy advocates have raised the potential pitfalls of this plan.
Zuckerberg stated six privacy rules. However, there was a significant omission: He said very little about how Facebook will take a different approach to data sharing and targeting in the future that is focused on privacy. The open flow of data among Facebook and third-party developers was, at the very least, the issue that prompted the jaws of the nation’s media to latch onto the company’s thigh. One year ago, in March, it was reported that a person named Aleksandr Kogan had misappropriated the data of tens and millions of Facebook users and had given it to a shadowy political consultancy firm called Cambridge Analytica. It was soon evident that Cambridge Analytica was not alone and that Facebook allowed hundreds of programmers to access information for many years.
The loose policies of the company regarding data collection throughout the years have helped it build one of the biggest and most profitable advertising firms in history. The data that Facebook gathers allows advertisers to determine who they should target and how to do it. The constant pursuit of that information has led to Facebook becoming accused of making unsuitable deals to sell data to manufacturers of devices and software partners. This is a story that Zuckerberg is aware of and acknowledged in his blog post. “I recognize that a lot of people aren’t convinced that Facebook could or will like to create this type of privacy-focused platform because it’s true that we don’t have a reputation for creating privacy-protective products,” he wrote.
These changes Zuckerberg announced Wednesday would increase security for Facebook’s 2.3 billion daily users. End-to-end encryption could be crucial to the safety of physical objects, as Zuckerberg states. It’s not recommended to establish servers in Venezuela and Syria. Facebook should only be allowed to keep the user’s data for a short time. People who advocate for privacy have been calling for changes, and Zuckerberg’s merits are that he’s stated that he will address these issues. Also, to his credit, he’s hired experts who are knowledgeable about these issues.
This should also be a welcome development for the regulators who have been hovering around Facebook as lions do around gazelles. In January 2020, an expansive privacy law in California was scheduled to take direction. While this is happening, Congress has been holding hearings and is working on federal privacy legislation that will, shortly, give consumers more control over their personal information and limit the ability of businesses to use and collect this information. It is believed that the European Union has already implemented the changes in the General Data Protection Regulation. As one ex-Facebook employee claimed to WIRED, Zuckerberg was trying to get ahead of the police. One former Facebook employee has pointed out via Twitter that this could limit the company’s potential expansion into China.
However, the issue is what Facebook’s priorities currently are. Privacy isn’t for free. If you put it on the top of your list in your life, you’re usually obliged to make other things more important. Zuckerberg admits to this in his post, noting that it is more challenging to regulate systems that are secure from end to end. The trend of directing people to be private and ephemeral messages could create new problems for media organizations seeking to expand their reach through the platform and make news consumption more difficult on Facebook.
In the end, Zuckerberg needs to address the most significant dilemma: Are these changes compatible with Facebook’s business model based on a constant data supply from users? If these changes are implemented, they will have significant business costs to pay. If he answers his questions, Zuckerberg’s privacy vision will remain fulfilling.
