Vindu Goel’s and Edward Wyatt’s article “Facebook Privacy Change Is Subject of F.T.C. Inquiry” describes the Federal Trade Commission’s new inquiry about whether or not Facebook’s new policies comply with an agreement made with regulators in 2011.
This 2011 agreement establishes that Facebook requires the “explicit consent of its users before exposing their private information to new audiences” (para. 2). Conversely, Facebook’s new policies force users to grant the company “wide permission to use their personal information in advertising” (para. 3) as part of the service agreement.
Repeatedly, our privacy is disrespected by the social media giant. From a business perspective, the new policies seem like a profitable move for the company to elevate its advertising revenue; however, it may prove to be an unethical imposition on its millions of daily users. Even one of the world’s greatest companies, Apple Inc., says that it will not infringe people’s privacy through its new fingerprint technology.
For stakeholders, F.T.C.’s inquiry into Facebook may translate into yet another warning about Facebook’s mentality and views on social responsibility. Every business has its right to flourish but there should be no repercussions for its community. Some may simply suggest that Facebook is in a desperate situation to meet the advertising revenue expectations of investors; others are more likely to state that in this age of ever-growing daily-use technology, our privacy becomes much more valuable than the performance of some company.