Chinenye Anuforo [email protected] 08063768550, 07054965005
Social media giant Facebook has been under fire since last week as it struggles with accusations and criticisms at home and abroad over revelations that a data analytics firm (Cambridge Analytica) that worked with Donald Trump’s election campaign had extracted Facebook data from 50 million user accounts.
Not only is the company in the hot seat, it also had the worst trading days in four years, having lost over $35 billion in value with share prices falling. In addition, there were questions of whether or not big tech companies should be trusted with so much data as they have been over these years. Speaking to The Sun Tech and Gadgets in a telephone interview, the chief operating officer, Digital Encode Limited, Mr. Obadare Peter, explained that Facebook’s data breach scandal boils down to a debate between privacy and security. He said there is a difference between the two: security of data has to do with confidentiality, integrity and availability, while privacy focuses only on confidentiality of data.
Obadare argued that what happened with Facebook/Cambridge Analytica was invasion of privacy whereby subscribers’ sensitive information like full name, date of birth, likes and dislikes were shared without their consent.
The lesson
The Digital Encode COO warned that subscribers to social media (not Facebook alone) should be mindful of the type of information they post on such platforms: “The lesson we can immediately take away from these events is that data and our personal information is not as private as we think.
“On sites like Facebook and many others, details about our interests, friends and other information are used for ad targeting, selling and a host of other reasons. What this latest exploit reminds us is that it’s time for everyone to work towards better protections for privacy and to start taking data security seriously. Any information that will affect you, don’t post on Facebook or any other social media.”
What businesses should know
As a business, you’ve likely already been faced with fears of breaches and hacks that cripple even the largest corporations, but there is more to keep in mind than just securing your networks. Consistent, always-on monitoring, pro-active approaches and training are all critical steps in business success. While this data breach may not have a direct impact on business, many more like it are lurking in the background. Working with a managed services provider means you won’t have to do all of that heavy lifting yourself when it comes to staying secure. Increase your IT security defense against cyber criminals, hackers, and employees and avoid data breaches, cyber attacks and possible regulatory fines.