By Mayank Dixit
Since its inception, Facebook has been the social media platform which has connected people in every way possible. With each passing day, more and more people are coming under its ambit, without ever thinking what dirty secrets the company might be hiding.
What are these secrets? Read on to know more.
DOUBLE DEALING
Mark Zuckerberg was contacted by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss to help launch their idea for an online social network. While writing code for “hardvardconnection.com”, Zuckerberg borrowed many of the site’s ideas and used them for “thefacebook.com”. Both the sites were quite similar in their various features. Zuckerberg was also caught bragging about the double-dealing in an IM chat.
EMOTIONAL CONTAGION
In 2014, Facebook launched a secret experiment with Cornell and University of California to manipulate the emotions of nearly 690,000 users. Tests were deliberately conducted to feed and filter misinformation through user’s personal news feed. One test hid positive posts from friends to provoke negative feelings.
Other test hid negative posts to incite positive expressions. Users were not even aware that they were being subjected to such experiments and Facebook refused to apologize for the intrusion.
MESSENGER MENACE
In 2014, Facebook created a separate messaging app called the Messenger, giving the company the access to user’s phones. Messenger’s privacy setting allows it to access call and SMS records, record audio and video and read emails and phone numbers. Facebook maintains that it won’t use the data to spy on people even though the company was caught tracking logged out web users in 2011.
UNDER REVIEW
The 4 billion pieces of content shared on Facebook, need to be reviewed for objectionable material. Facebook outsources this delicate task of reviewing post to third world workers making $1 an hour. Workers have reported being subjected to shocking material such as ‘paedophilia’ and ‘suicides’. What is more shocking is that the outsourcing firm hires workers without any security check and the workers are not prohibited from downloading the content they review.
Read More: The Media of Social Media – The Tumblr vs. Facebook Story
NOT SO PRIVATE
Facebook has been accused of making its privacy settings difficult to control since it benefits from unprotected user data. The company claims that the user’s information stays in its black box, only used to serve relevant content to the user and to better target advertising. A 2010 investigation revealed that Facebook was making its user’s personal data directly available to advertisers.
These advertisers are able to access the private information of users and see their network of friends. Third-party apps have also been caught selling Facebook User Ids to black market data brokers.
Beware the next time you like, share or comment on a post. Facebook is watching you.
Image Credits: Google Images
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