Would you Delete your Social Media Account??

social media data protection

The startling revelations about Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm that worked with Donald Trump’s election team and the winning Brexit campaign, obtaining Facebook data on 50 million users has got everyone thinking about their social media accounts and a possible misuse of it.

According to a snapshot poll of 220 cybersecurity and IT professionals conducted by Centrify, at Infosecurity Europe in London this week, two-thirds of professionals admit they would delete their account if a social media provider misused their personal data. 59% of respondents admitted to have already deleted a social media account while another 7% plan to do the same. However, 32 percent say that they have no plans to delete Facebook or any other social media account which is ,no doubt, a significant number.

The poll reveals that about 55% of poll respondents say they would stop using a company following a data breach and 45% admit they would carry on using a company despite the risks.

Interestingly, when quizzed about the biggest concerns about the privacy of personal data, only 10% respondents pointed to social media providers tracking their personal information, 34% respondents worry about breaches at companies that have access to their data, and 25% are worried mainly about credit card fraud.

The internet is a worldwide web of corporate surveillance and it’s impossible to get a clear picture of how your personal information is being utilized. While data protection regulation like GDPR is an important step towards giving people control over their data, it is not an elixir. And for those who have been trying to extricate themselves from Facebook and other networking sites for a long time, data breach might be a final nudge to cut ties with the social network.

Author – Jaya Kalwani
Independent Consultant