Facebook's Legal Setback on Data Privacy & Ads!

Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American technology giant Meta Platforms. After registering, users can create a profile revealing information about themselves. They can post text, photos, and multimedia which are shared with any other users who have agreed to be their "friend". Users can also communicate directly with each other with Messenger, join common-interest groups, and receive notifications on the activities of their Facebook friends and the pages they follow.

Recently, Facebook lost a legal challenge at the European Union's top court over a groundbreaking German antitrust decision that limited the way it uses data for advertising.

The European Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday, July 4, 2024, that competition watchdogs may take into account whether corporations, including Facebook, abide by the rigorous privacy laws of the continent, which are often the purview of national data privacy authorities.

Every coin has two sides. In this blog, we'll discuss the benefits, and the dangers brought by today's developing Internet. Also, we'll explore some ways to deal with them.

Benefits brought by the Internet

1. Making communication with friends and family simpler

Friends and family may connect easier than ever thanks to social media and video call tools. The internet serves as a point of connection for people who are not physically close to their community or have relatives abroad.

It used to take hours, days, and perhaps even months to get a letter from someone else. Thanks to the Internet, you can send emails to anyone in the world now, and they frequently arrive in under a minute.

Online forums are another setting for people with similar interests to interact and discuss their hobbies.

2. Access to information, knowledge and learning

The Internet, which is a wealth of knowledge and information, enables people to learn more about any subject and provides answers to all kinds of questions. Users can ask any inquiry and locate a web page with an answer by using a search engine like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and others. On websites like YouTube, which include millions of videos on a variety of topics, you may also watch videos about any subject. You can also take online courses in a wide range of areas.

3. Global Collaboration

The ability to cooperate with anyone, wherever on the planet, is another benefit of this global infrastructure.

These partnerships might be formal or informal, intellectual or creative, and professional or amateur.

Numerous scientific publications will publish studies that were conducted in collaboration with universities that were spread across great distances, and YouTube is rife with virtual bands where each member recorded their part in their own home or local studio and uploaded it all online.

4. New careers

Jobs that are directly related to how it functions include web development and design as well as jobs that have a more indirect connection, such as e-commerce and digital marketing.

However, even traditional jobs are now available online; you can even teach!

The internet boosts the economy and lowers unemployment by generating these jobs. Since these occupations may be performed from anywhere in the world, the situation in less developed economies is improved without any restrictions.

5. Much more convenient

It is considerably simpler to pay bills online by visiting the provider's website and making a few simple clicks than it is to visit the bank each month.

The same is true if you shop online and have it delivered rather than going from store to store.

These small conveniences matter because they allow you to save time that would otherwise be wasted on unavoidable duties by performing them online.

Dangers brought by the Internet

1. Cyberbullying

According to a 2018 study on children's online behavior, 60% of kids who use social media had seen bullying in some form. However, most kids chose to ignore the behavior entirely for a variety of reasons. Additionally, nearly half (47%) of all young people had experienced cyberbullying as of February 2018, according to enough.org. Cyberbullying occurs frequently on today's 24/7 virtual playground, which includes social media and online games. In social media conversations, kids might be made fun of. Or, in online gaming, their player personas may be continuously attacked, transforming the experience from a fun adventure to a humiliating torment that develops into cyberbullying on several platforms and in real life.

2. Phishing

Cyber security experts refer to the use of emails to try to deceive recipients into clicking on harmful links or files as "phishing." Kids may find these particularly challenging to identify because they frequently appear to be genuine emails from friends or family members, just saying, "Hey—thought you might like this!" This practice is known as "smishing" and can also be carried out through text messages or messaging applications.

Phishing emails and smishing texts can appear at any time, but the cybercriminals who create them keep an eye on kid-friendly websites and collect information like email addresses, the names of their friends, and other details to tailor their attacks, just like they do when spear phishing adults to access.

3. Data theft

When a fraudster obtains personal information from an unwitting victim, such as names, addresses, or financial information, they are committing data theft. They may then sell the information or use it for their gain. Keyloggers can steal passwords and email addresses from Web users by secretly recording their keystrokes, for instance. To deceive people into disclosing personal and financial information, phishing schemes use phony emails and websites that appear to be authentic. The information can subsequently be used by cybercriminals to spy on or extort individuals, steal their internet accounts (including bank accounts), propagate rumors, or act in the victim's place.

How to stay cyber safe

1. Use strong passwords

Consider using lengthy passphrases with numbers and symbols, such as "Sallys-50th-Birthday-In-Paris!" Shorter, easier passwords are quickly cracked by computers.

For every online account and website, use a unique password. Your other accounts will continue to be secure even if one of your passwords is ever exposed.

2. Think before you click

Look closely at all emails, texts, and websites for anything that seems odd. Unexpected messages are more likely to be fraudulent.

Before you respond, make sure the message is sincere. If it's fake, all an attacker may need from you is for you to click a link or open an attachment to give them access.

3. Be careful of what you share

Some attackers search social media for pertinent data like addresses, family names, and pet or birth dates. An attacker might be able to reset your passwords or even call and pretend to be you with enough information pieced together.

Share as little private information as you can on social media, and think about reviewing any personal information you might have previously shared.

4. Avoid public Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi is useful, but it can also be risky. Your connection can be intercepted by other network users, putting your passwords, calls, and messages at risk. When possible, stay away from public Wi-Fi and think about using the personal hotspot on your smartphone.

Conclusion

The internet has become an essential part of our lives. It offers us a wealth of information and opportunities, but it also comes with risks. It is important to be aware of the benefits and dangers of the internet, and to take steps to protect yourself from cyber threats.

The enlightenment brought by the Facebook incident is that even in a relaxed network environment, we should pay attention to protecting our privacy.