The Perils of Social Media
Understanding data and privacy risks in today’s digital age.
Have you ever wondered how advertisements about a certain product appear on your social media when all you’ve done is have a face-to-face conversation with your friend about it? Welcome to new-age marketing.
From the moment we wake up until we sleep at night, we share details of our lives on social media—pictures of our morning tea, breakfast, dinner, the places we visit, and even the hotels we stay in. We might share photos of our friends, family, children, workplace, and home without realising we’re exposing our personal information to the world. Each post, uploaded photo, the group joined, website searched, or app downloaded indirectly records our movements and secretly monitors our online activities. But who keeps this record, and how is this information used? Sadly, most users are unaware of these practices.
Data and privacy
Social media companies often sell private data to other companies without consent. This is their ‘revenue model’. Our preferences are learned through our social networking activities, and our personal information is shared with advertisers and other companies.
Shockingly, 75 per cent of users in India do not read the privacy policies before downloading an app and freely click the ‘OK’ or ‘Agree’ button when creating an account on a new website. Unbeknownst to them, the information they provide during account setup is sold by the social media company to advertisers and other businesses. These private companies then use the data for their marketing efforts. In the world of marketing, this practice is given a pleasant-sounding name like ‘mapping’, but it is, in fact, an intrusion into our private lives!
Some hackers exploit vulnerabilities in social media apps and sell users’ private data on the market. Illicit markets, often referred to as ‘bot markets’, are platforms for selling stolen user data. Currently, there is data from nearly 54 lakh users available in these markets, with 6 lakh of them being Indian users. Criminals routinely use this information for anti-social or criminal activities.
Sharing private information
It has been 19 years since social media platforms were first opened to the general public. We must be mindful of how we use social media, now that the novelty has worn off. In other words, the personal information and photos we voluntarily share are seen by both people we know and those we don’t.
Parents who freely share photos of their children on social media might not realise that hackers on the ‘deep web’ (the hidden part of the internet, not indexed by search engines) and the ‘dark web’ (the unregulated part of the internet known for illegal activities) can access these images as use them illegally.
How to combat the issue?
To combat cybercrimes originating from social media, it is essential to be aware of the potential dangers. If you come across an account or website that seems dangerous or intrusive, report and block it. These actions are logged by the respective social media company. Additionally, under the ‘Right To Be Forgotten’, you have the right to correct or delete your data on social media.
Remember to beware at all times. It is all well to use social media to influence, talk about your latest achievements and even showcase your life. But remember to be prudent about how much you reveal. It can backfire.
» Team Kalnirnay