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Facebook's Pivot to Privacy Is Missing Something Crucial

If theres one choice that Facebook has made repeatedly over the past 15 years, its been to prioritize growth over privacy.

Data was collected that you didnt have any idea was being collected and shared in ways you had no idea it was being shared.

Hes also seen his company get burned for ignoring user privacy, and hes seen that the platform he built to make the world more open and connected can also be used by harassers, racists, trolls, bullies, and Vladimir Putin.

In the post, Zuckerberg made a litany of promises about enhancing encryption on Facebook and Instagram, keeping servers out of authoritarian countries whose leaders seek to spy on their citizens, and reducing the "permanence" of messages or stories. Zuckerberg also described in detail how the company will integrate its three messaging platforms: Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct, and WhatsApp.

Zuckerberg listed six privacy principles, but there was one glaring omission: He said nothing about how Facebook plans to approach data sharing and ad targeting in this privacy-focused future. The free flow of data between Facebook and third-party developers is, after all, the issue that caused the jaws of the national media to snap onto the companys leg.One year ago this month, news broke that a man named Aleksandr Kogan had misappropriated the data of tens of millions of users and sent it to a shady political consulting firm called Cambridge Analytica.It soon became clear that Cambridge Analytica was not alone and that Facebook had allowed thousands of developers to collect data for years.

Ultimately, Zuckerberg doesnt address the biggest trade-off: Are these changes compatible with Facebooks fundamental business model, which relies on a steady supply of user data?

Original article
Author: Wired

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