The Ethical Side of Data-Analysis in the light of Facebook Data Scandal
Why this topic/Aim?
Recent times have witnessed a more than exponential growth in the
number of social media platforms. These social media platforms provide
simple, engaging and, ‘best of all’, free of cost services. This results in a
mammoth and ever-growing number of people uploading their, inter
alia, ‘daily lives, personal details and whereabouts’ on such platforms
in form of posts, messages, photos, maps, etc.
It is beautiful to have connected to the globe in this easy fashion. But
there is a point where one needs to stop and think, and perhaps, be
cautious. It is that one has already given the details of him or herself on
such platforms, practically revealing the most of what otherwise you
would not want to be or go in wrong hands.
Do you want your photographs in wrong hands? Do you want your
personal details in wrong hands? Do you want the knowledge of your
whereabouts in wrong hands? The answer to all these questions, in
general, is a strict NO.
We, nevertheless, upload such data without considering the
consequences. And the question is rather simple which is – “What if..?”
What if the data actually goes into some wrong hands?
Well, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The actual problem runs much
deeper.
Albeit there is no reason to panic, yet an inquiry into the same could
prove to be vital. As the basic belief is that we, as social media users,
have the right to have complete and unhindered control over our data
including taking the data-off the systems and servers in complete and
exhaustive manner.

This article is written with the intent to acquaint the social media users
of their rights, the underlying iceberg problem, and throw light on some
more related issues.

Why now this topic?
This is a long lingering concern since the time social media started
mushrooming the way it is in contemporary world. The current
Facebook Data Scandal has made it not only imperative, but also exigent
for people to understand what lies in under the surface.
The endeavour of the article is to define, inform and analyse the
‘concern and issues’ in a layman’s terms, in terms that an average
Indian, American, Australian, Canadian and other national is able to
understand.
What is the Facebook Data Scandal?
There is a political consulting firm viz. Cambridge Analytica, which uses
data mining, data analysis, etc to influence voter opinion on behalf of
politicians who hire them.
Data mining means examining and evaluating the data that is already
there on such social media platforms and using that data to create new
information which could be used (or misused) in a context.
Before understanding data analysis let us see the incident in question.
Cambridge Analytica is supposed to have used personally identifiable
information of up to a staggering 87 million users of and from Facebook.
The discovery of this incident was dealt with an apology by Mr. Mark
Zuckerberg amidst public outcry. However, no ‘information’ was given
on the same to the United States senate. This was tantamount to hiding
the information and leading to lack of transparency. Transparency is one
of the pillars that contemporary democracy choose to nourish and it also
happen to be one of the factors valued ethically by increasing number of

people and nations. So is said true to an extent “you don’t hide
something if you have nothing to hide.”
Facebook’s role
It is quite hard to believe that something of this magnitude happens and
Mark Zuckerberg is caught unaware of the whole situation. This
becomes more relevant in the light of recent Senate inquiries where
Mark was found grappling with number of questions.
This, in no way, is to malign the image of Mr. Mark Zuckerberg.
However, it is a reminder by a real incidence of the loss and breach that
people might suffer if certain concepts are not well debated and
deliberated. Responsibilities do assign themselves in the right manner to
the right person and the whole process appears to be automatic. This
makes a common man or woman look for the right place of the
‘Responsibles’ in entire matter.
To establish the intention of Mark is not in purview of this article. This
intends to delve into the matter of sincere ignorance on multiple facets.
A question: What is data analysis? Why should we be concerned about
the same?
Let’s start with what is data? Data is any kind of information,
customarily raw in nature.
In context of social media, this data is the photo you are in, the photo
you tag, the personal information that you give, your name, workplace,
residential address, phone number, e-mail IDs, places you tour to,
friends you have, videos you like to watch, items you like to purchase,
topics you like to read, sites you like to visit, celebrities you look for
more, your hobbies, your interests – to quote a few.
This data is available with the social media that you are on. Now this
data is analysed for each person, region, nationality, etc. With this
analysis, among other variables, your social behavior, personality,

behavior patterns are known and understood. After such understanding
where your preferences and choices are known, it becomes quite easy
and targeted if you are to be presented with an advertisement, and/or
your opinion is to be influenced.
This happens without one even knowing such a thing is happening,
without even one noticing that he/she is targeted.
This presents a dilemma. Nobody wants them to be influenced without
their true knowledge as it comes out more as a manipulation and less as
a focused approach.
The fact is all such information are written in the agreement one makes
on Facebook or other such social media. The problem is that such and
other clauses are written in very difficult language. To quote Senator
John Kennedy these are written in Swahili and not in English that an
average American can understand.
If the same information is presented to the users in a way which is
understandable to the people, choosing to be a part of a particular
platform, in a more lucid way, in a language people of that region are
able to understand, the contract then made would only be more fair.
Second, if a person chooses to be a part of a social platform, such
agreements are mandatory. That means either you choose to agree and
be a part or you choose to not agree and don’t be a part. Thus, the time
you choose to be a part, you have already agreed to the terms and
conditions for whatever they may be. This creates ample room for your
data to be used in the manner not known to you.
What is scarier is that such analysis can also predict your future
behavior. This makes the ground under such a member of a social media
platform very fragile.
Is Data Analysis bad?

Dynamite was not built for the what it was used for later. In fact, the
Nobel prizes are named after the person who created Dynamite –Alfred
Noble. Similarly, data analysis, in itself, cannot be considered to be good
or bad. It is rather neutral. It is the use of the same which can be called
in question. And who uses it? The people who have our data.
Though a parallel contention is what if such data is ‘leaked’, ‘sold’,
‘accidentally taken’, ‘ignorantly freed’, etc to a terrorist organization or
even worse, to people who are not terrorist but would not mind
manipulating other people for their own ends.
Therefore, such a concern can be considered genuine and justified. After
all, there is great to lose by every single proud user (of a billion users) of
Facebook or other such media.
Rights of a Citizen (Read user of a social media platform)
The user shall have complete right, authority and control over his/her
data at each and every stage of any information dissemination. In case of
technical problems in the same and need should arise of a general
agreement, that very agreement shall be written in very lucid and hugely
understandable terms.
Rights of the Founder, CEO, or put simply head/creator of the
organization
Such head should have complete liberty and authority over the kind of
platform he/she wants to build. However, in the wake of building such a
platform none of the rights of the users shall be breached in said terms,
unsaid terms or otherwise. This would also be in line with the evolving
cosmopolitan view of global justice. This view considers every life, of
the seven billion, are equal to each other. This makes Mark and other
creators to be equal to any of their users. In such a case, it would be only
wise to consider and believe every user to be equal and respect the rights
that person has. This would call for justification of an action done by the
creator at any time when a transgression, either intended or not, is noted.

The Fair Game
This issue that sounds a tad complex could be simplified only if a fair
game is played. Rights could be protected of those whose rights are
violated. The rules of such a game are to be well laid and clearly and
crisply explained. The users should try and be more aware of what they
are getting into. Any membership of any such platform is to be exercise
with care. It’s our lives we are talking of and any ignorance on the same
might cost us very dearly. How dearly? Only time can tell.