Big Data Ethics and TikTok
“Liberté, Égalité, and the vivi challenge?”
In 2017, my Islamic Political Thought professor described the safeguarding of privacy as the bedrock upon which regimes can build commitment to human dignity. He discussed how individual privacy and the rigidness with which it is maintained impacts how societies construct ideas of ownership, law, equity, and culture. These topics frame the issues raised by the advent of social media and the use of the data acquired by such apps. How is our social media data used to prohibit ownership of oneself?
Social Media Growth
Social media use across race, gender, and income has steadily risen from the mid 2000s in the United States.
There is data that show how social media companies can continue to see the growth observed in the past decade. According to ourworldindata.org, which aggregates the data compiled by the Pew Research Center, people in the United States younger than 24 years use social media and other similar apps considerably more than older age groups.
This trend could continue in developing countries where internet connectedness is not yet universal.
Examples of Misuse
The amount of data social media companies like Facebook and ByteDance Limited has risen due to the growing adoption of their apps. One of the most recent and influential repercussions of the accruement of user data is the Cambridge Analytica scandal surrounding the 2016 presidential election. The political data firm was able to gain access to 50 million user profiles and map interpersonal relationships between said users. Ex-president Donald Trump’s campaign was then able to exploit and spread misinformation across pockets of users on the app. The result of which skewed the election in favor of Trump. This example of misuse of personal data directly influenced the United States’ democratic process.
More recently in 2020 TikTok, the app owned by ByteDance Limited, was able to circumvent privacy protection offered by Google Android by adding an extra layer of encryption. It allowed for the app to mine data about its users without flagging Google’s privacy security protocol. Previously, the White House raised concerns regarding the app’s ties with the governing regime of the People’s Republic of China. The country’s government is known to keep track of its citizens through a number of ways.
Data Responsibility
Whose responsibility is it to ensure that your data is not misused? In light of stories of data hacks, data tracking, and data misuse, some people have taken to deleting their social media accounts. Companies often make the excuse that users agree to the terms and conditions. But as we can see below, the amount of time needed to read these documents can be cumbersome.
Additionally, the reading level required to fully comprehend the terms and conditions of these apps is equivalent to 14 years of schooling. Both the length and difficulty of these documents prevent people from truly knowing what they’re allowing these apps to access. Many of the users, as displayed in the second graph, have not had enough time to receive 14 years worth of education. Many are teens still in middle school and high school.
Looking Ahead
Do the possibility of data misuse and manipulation outweigh the opportunities social media give its users? How can we maximize global connectedness and mitigate unwanted encroachments on our personal data? Fortunately, there are emerging technologies which may be able to address our concerns. One route may be through blockchain technology. Blockchain technology relies on digital ledgers which duplicate and distribute records of these transactions throughout the whole network of computer systems within the blockchain. It is able to do this by recording transactions via immutable digital signatures called hashes. The image below describes the pillars of blockchain technology.
A properly constructed social media platform could allow users to connect with anyone, anywhere in the world without fear of a central company misusing the data gathered from logging on. A decentralized platform would mean that users would no longer have to give their rights to online privacy to companies such as Facebook, and ByteDance Limited. A system like this would more aptly mirror the philosophy of net-neutrality espoused by Tim Berners-Lee, the primary inventor of the world-wide-web.
Parting Thoughts
Social media has been the source of both positive and negative news within the last decade. Its role as a tool of social control for the powerful and powerfully connected was exemplified in Cambridge Analytica’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election. On the other hand, these same apps provided spaces for activists to organize, share information, and release content for protests against police brutality. Similarly, It is now being used to spread awareness about anti-asian acts of violence. As ubiquitous as it might seem, social media is still in its germinal stage. As we observe how it evolves, we can facilitate its growth towards ethical privacy and data security by creating structures and systems that hinder malicious use of our data.
Further Resources & Similar Topics:
40 Maps that Explain the Internet
A Brief History of Net Neutrality
