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Search 21st March, 2018 Spotlight here: http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx
TOPIC:
- General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
- General Studies 3: Role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, Basics of cyber security
In News: Cambridge Analytica is said to have accessed Facebook users' data without permission and, is claimed to have helped manipulate election results. SCL had access of user data through a Facebook app called “thisisyourdigitallife" and the app was downloaded by 270,000 people. The firm got the data from a researcher who paid 270,000 Facebook users to complete a psychological profile quiz back in 2014. But the quiz gathered information on their friends as well, bringing the total number of people affected to about 50 million.
As the news of the breach spread, a hashtag emerged, #deletefacebook, which ironically trended on the social media site. This is not the first instance of a data breach on Facebook— but it surely is one of the biggest so far.
Data Analytics in the times of Social Media:
Governments over the world has increasingly started using the social media to establish a voice and presence on the platform and invite citizen engagement, embed information in new media channels that citizens frequent daily, leverage crowds to pull information on security/law and order issues, for coordinating community policing efforts and to put a human face on policing.
Nowadays, businesses are collecting small pieces of data leading to a profile creation to influence his/her mode of thinking by ‘using data analytics’. This is helpful in influencing a person to show his/her interest in the advertisements by the businesses.
The Way Ahead:
Responsibility of an individual: The problems plaguing social network security and privacy issues, can only be resolved if users take a more careful approach to what they share and how much.
Responsibility of the social media channel: Private data needs to be private and no information should be shared without prior information/ consent with any third party.
Responsibility of the State: Vigilance and training are crucial to minimizing risks for individuals and business, and therefore the State needs to incorporate this into legislation.
Connecting the Dots: