In this Facebook data breach essay, we discuss how Facebook allowed applications to mine user data.  The essay will explain what data was breached, how it was breached, and how that data was used.  Furthermore, the essay will also discuss the repercussions of the breach, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s hearing in front of the United States Senate, issues involving Cambridge Analytical, and information that is being revealed about additional data breaches.In addition to explaining the data breach, the essay will also discuss whether Facebook has a responsibility to users to keep data safe, and the steps that Facebook is taking to resolve data breaches in the future.  This example essay should not only provide you with an overview of the Facebook data breach, but also provide you with a technical guide on how to write an academic essay.  It will include the following parts of a standard academic essay: introduction, thesis statement, evidence and analysis in body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Related Topics

Cambridge Analytical- Cambridge Analytical is a British consulting firm that specializes in harvesting voter data from voter internet usage.  Cambridge Analytical has played a significant role in the Facebook security breach because of its role in mining data from Facebook users, where it inappropriately collected data from over 50 million Facebook users.   An essay focusing on Cambridge Analytical would examine the company’s history, board of directors, role in prior elections, and role in the Facebook scandal.

Cybersecurity and Social Media- Cybersecurity refers to being protected against both criminal and unauthorized use of data that you share to use internet sites.  Although generally used in the context of identity theft, it is important to realize that cybersecurity also refers to unauthorized usage.  This essay would discuss whether social media platforms have a responsibility to provide security to their users, and, if they do, what type of repercussions should exist if they fail to provide that security.

Election Influencing and the Internet-  This topic would discuss how social media can be used to influence elections.  While the use of propaganda to influence elections has occurred for many centuries, the advent of social media makes it much easier to influence popular opinion, and, therefore, influence elections.  This is especially true for foreign countries or powers seeking to influence another country’s electoral process.

Essay Titles

Facebook Data Breach Understanding Social Media and Internet Security: The Facebook Data Breach Does Mark Zuckerberg Owe You Privacy? The Facebook Data Breach is Unethical, but Is It Illegal?

Outline

I.  Introduction II.  Body

a.  What happened in the Facebook data breach.

b.  How Facebook should be responsible for protecting users’ data.

c.  Zuckerberg’s Senate Hearing

d.  Cambridge Analytical and other data leaks

e.  Steps Facebook is going to take to resolve/prevent this issue in the future
III.  Conclusion- The long term effects this breach will have on the tech companies that collect your data

Introduction

In early 2018, it became public knowledge that all Facebook users may have been exposed to having their personal data harvested by firms, including Cambridge Analytical, which use this data to help develop profiles.  Some of these profiles... firm Cambridge Analytical obtained information about 50 million Facebook users without their knowledge” (Glum).  How were they able to obtain this information?  A researcher built Facebook personality quiz, which required participants to download an app.  Part of the quiz required users to give him access to their friends’ data.  A little over a quarter-of-a-million people used the application, which gave the researcher access to around 50 million profiles.  The researcher then turned over the information to Cambridge Analytical, which then used it to build profiles for political research.  Facebook does not characterize it as a data breach, because they do not believe that the use violated the user terms that all users agree to for Facebook.  They insist that all users of the application consented to the use.  However, others argue that those who consented should not have had the right to consent on behalf of their friends.

How Facebook Should Be Responsible for Protecting Users’ Data

Although Facebook has not been willing to label the incident a data breach, it does acknowledge that it is an issue.  However, it may not be an issue that is covered by laws.  Theoretically, it is covered by international treaty.  “The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights already includes a right to privacy, as does the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights” (Schackelford).  However, these international treaties are not enforceable and may not have analogous laws in various member states.  They do establish a good baseline for what Facebook, and other social media platforms, could and should do to protect user data.  Facebook could be an industry leader in protecting user data.  After all, it has an overwhelming share of the social media marketplace, and, if it wants to retain that share, it needs to take steps to…