The results are in on Facebook privacy review in response to data scandal. Last week, we spoke about the latest crisis of confidence in Facebook’s ability to protect its users’ data privacy, after it was revealed that political consulting and data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica had been able to acquire information about 50 million Facebook users, without their permission.

That scandal led to renewed questions about whether the world’s largest social media platform does enough to protect the sensitive data it collects from its users. Reeling from its worst ever privacy crisis Facebook went into full damage control and initiated a user privacy review.

Protecting Your Information takes effect this Monday

The initial outcome of that privacy review will start to take effect as of Monday, when the tens of millions of Facebook users who might have had their data shared with Cambridge Analytica will get a message on their news feeds to alert as to whether their information may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica.

In addition, all of the 2+ billion users of Facebook will also see a notice entitled “Protecting Your Information” at the top of their news feed. The notice will include a link that will enable users to see which apps are connected to their Facebook accounts and what information those apps are allowed to see. Facebook users will then also have the ability to delete any apps they no longer use or want to use, as well as being able to completely turn off third-party access to their apps.

How to protect your personal data online

The issues highlighted by the recent Facebook data privacy scandal is, however, no reason to panic and run for the hills, so to speak, by deleting your Facebook account. After all, we all share massive amounts of information about ourselves in the form of digital footprints whenever and wherever we go online. Furthermore, if you’re in business, Facebook, despite the constant tweaks to its News Feed algorithm, still presents businesses with an awesome channel into a massive audience. So, no, no need to “throw the baby out with the bathwater” as they say.

However, these recent events on Facebook are a good reminder of the importance of taking as many reasonable and practicable steps as possible to protect data about ourselves and our businesses online, whether that be on Facebook or any other social media platform that we might be using. Steps such as:

  • Always being mindful about what you’re sharing on Facebook or any other online medium (remember once it’s out there it’s always out there…)
  • Taking note of exactly what terms and conditions you accept when you sign up for apps
  • Regularly checking and adjusting your privacy settings
  • Deleting apps you no longer wish to use.

Want to know more about using Facebook for your business?

If you’d like to have an informed discussion about Facebook and how to use it, and other social media platforms, to advance the online profile of your business, then simply get in touch with the team at Net Branding. Our digital marketing specialists will be able to talk you though the options and what’s best for the specific needs of your business.