The most important question is about "informed consent".
Yes, users consented to giving data to facebook. But they did so via a convoluted click-through legal agreement, which almost no one reads, and which denies Facebook access if you decline. Then they can use your data for what are human subject experiments.
If any other human subject experiment was proposed to a review board with that kind of consent form, it would be laughed out of the room, at best. No way would that be allowed.
"Informed consent" is what Facebook -- and other data companies -- should be seeking. We already have this concept for data and user protection in research. We should just extend it to the private sector.
Yes, users consented to giving data to facebook. But they did so via a convoluted click-through legal agreement, which almost no one reads, and which denies Facebook access if you decline. Then they can use your data for what are human subject experiments.
If any other human subject experiment was proposed to a review board with that kind of consent form, it would be laughed out of the room, at best. No way would that be allowed.
"Informed consent" is what Facebook -- and other data companies -- should be seeking. We already have this concept for data and user protection in research. We should just extend it to the private sector.