Case Study: Cambridge Analytica
Unit 5
In 2018, the Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed serious problems about how personal data collected from online surveys can be misused. Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting company, collected data from about 87 million Facebook users without their consent. They did this through a personality quiz app that many people took, but it also collected information from the quiz takers’ Facebook friends. This data was then used to create profiles to influence political campaigns like Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential run.
Facebook played a big role in the scandal because it allowed this data collection to happen. Although Facebook knew about Cambridge Analytica’s questionable actions as early as 2015, it didn’t take strong action until after the scandal became public in 2018. This showed negligence and poor management of user privacy. As a result, Facebook faced huge fines and damage to its reputation.
This case highlights important ethical lessons. Collecting data without clear and informed consent is wrong, even if it’s legal. Users often don’t understand how their survey answers and social media data are combined and used. Companies should be transparent about data use, allow users to opt out, and protect data from misuse.
In response to scandals like this, the European Union introduced the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018. GDPR requires companies to get clear permission before using personal data and gives people rights like accessing and deleting their data. It also imposes heavy fines for violations.
Beyond Cambridge Analytica, similar issues exist in online research and web scraping, where data is collected without people’s full awareness. Ethical research must respect privacy, get proper consent, and protect sensitive information.
In conclusion, the Cambridge Analytica scandal teaches us that misuse of surveys and personal data can harm individuals and society. Companies and researchers must follow ethical practices to protect people’s privacy and build trust.
References
Allstate Identity Protection. (n.d.). 6 lessons from the Cambridge Analytica breach. Available at https://www.allstateidentityprotection.com/articles/6-lessons-from-the-cambridge-analytica-breach
Patnaik, S. (2024). Ethical Web Scraping: Legal Insights and Best Practices. ForageAI. Available at https://forage.ai/blog/ethical-web-scraping
Wikipedia. (n.d.). General Data Protection Regulation. Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regulation
Zinolabedini, D., & Arora, N. (2019). The Ethical Implications of the 2018 Facebook-Cambridge Analytica Data Scandal. Available at https://fdocuments.in/document/running-head-facebook-data-scandal-1-the-ethical-implications-of-the-2018.html