Facebook’s justification for banning third-party researchers inaccurate

Latest Update- 31/12/2022

Facebook's claims about which part of the FTC order required its actions are vague, but the agency was just not satisfied with them. In a letter published by The Washington Post, Samuel Levine, the acting director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Rights, expressed displeasure with Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook.

"We would have pointed out that the consent decree does not stop Facebook from developing exceptions for good-faith research in the public interest," Levine said. "Had you followed your commitment to contact us in advance, we would have pointed this up." "I am dissatisfied with how your firm has handled itself in this case, even if I appreciate that Facebook has now corrected the record."

Facebook spokesperson Joe Osborne acknowledged that the FTC's consent decree's requirement that the business maintains a "comprehensive privacy policy" which the company says the researchers ignored, was what ultimately forced the company to act. Facebook could allow such study in its privacy program if it so chose.

The study itself was based on a browser update called Ad Observer that Facebook users may download to record which political advertisements they see and why. The researcher collected this data and use it to learn more about political advertising. As political advertisements are not fact-checked, our work helps in tracking disinformation on Facebook as well as who is sponsoring political campaigns. The Ad Observer plug-in is still up and functional Facebook has blocked the project's social media pages and the personal accounts of the researchers who worked on it.

Last Updated- 07/8/2021

Facebook's founders would go to such lengths to manipulate people's content. Despite this, social media and social networking websites are frequently shut down for selling users' personal information to third parties. At our end, this sheer awareness never knocked on our doors. Since media possess innate abilities to bring out intense truth to the world. Life has become easier. Everyone’s life is precious, and so is the social media content that some tend to post.

It’s cool to flaunt your personal belongings on the internet but not cool when someone misuses them. After this, you will never feel like sharing any personal information on the web, since it’s unsafe. Now, social media apps and websites want to play it safe, they are making a tremendous effort to intensify this move into duties. Social media itself is a form of the web that can hover one under its clutches, all forms of media possess certain power. Its palpable effects can’t unload us! If biggies like researchers and academicians are given their own space, a lot can make a difference.