Data Privacy and GDPR Handbook

11Facebook: A Perennial Abuser of Data Privacy

We don’t sell any of your information to anyone, and we never will.

— Facebook data policy

11.1 Social Networking as an Explosive Global Phenomenon

Facebook (FB) has revolutionized virtual social interactions in major parts of the world. Before its inception in 2004, other communication and networking platforms including AOL, Yahoo!, and Orkut laid the foundation for the concept of online social networking as a free service, or nearly so. FB made it mainstream with over 2 billion members worldwide. It has aptly been dubbed the most successful thing in human history.¹ Since its inception the company has expanded its operations rapidly into nearly all forms of human communication increasing its reach, and more importantly, its data collection capabilities.

11.2 Facebook Is Being Disparaged for Its Data Privacy Practices

At the time of writing this chapter, the latest controversy surrounding the company is regarding the 10-Year Challenge meme shared by users on the FB/Instagram platforms. Some allege that the 10-Year Challenge meme was started by FB itself to develop its facial recognition algorithms by collecting a diverse range of aging features from its data subjects, perfectly set to a 10-year comparison.² None of these allegations have been confirmed, with FB denying any involvement in making the Challenge go viral. But the company’s denial comes at a time when its data practices are under strict public scrutiny following ...