Daniel Castro the author of this article is a Senior Analyst with Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Castro Has done a lot of research in areas such as information accessibility, e-government, e-commerce, health IT, electronic voting among others. Working in the government agencies like Federal Insurance Corporation, Security and Exchange Commission has gained him so much experience. Through the article The Right to Privacy is Not a Right to Facebook Castro tries to explore the issue of online privacy by focusing on a Facebook company that recently came up with new privacy policies. The article answers two fundamental questions; does Facebook have the right to use private information to deliver services and products to customers and whether any other has the right to do this?
New applications introduced by Google and Facebook should not be interpreted as a way of exposing personal private information but instead one should see it as a way of enhancing service delivery. Privacy policies are very clear because they stipulate what an organization is supposed to do with an individual’s personal data. If an organization deviates from such agreements then it must be held liable but one must prove beyond reasonable doubt that Facebook has violated the stipulated privacy policies before accusing it. Some people argue that the government needs to regulate the use of personal information that most customers do not read them.
Facebook has never coerced anyone to agree to its privacy policies rather it gives everyone freedom to read and make a personal decision and so even the government would not be justified to interfere with the business of a private entity. According to Mark Zuckerberg Facebook CEO, social media should move from the traditional way of doing business and embrace openness. Facebook always responds to public pressure and that is why it always modifies its privacy settings to meet the demands of its users. The few people who feel that the company is unfair in imposing some privacy policies should feel free to choose other forms of social media that they are comfortable with (Castro, 2010).
Castro discourages the idea of some powerful persons in a government like the senators and cabinet ministers from interfering with Facebook and its affiliate companies. When Coca-Cola decided to introduce coke into the market nobody reacted as it is with Facebook. It is very wrong for people to act as if the privacy policies introduced by Facebook is a national Emergency with others protesting to close their profiles. The interests of the majority must be protected at all cost. On the other hand every business entity must understand that the citizens have a right to privacy of their electronic data. The government also has the responsibility of taking the legislative and oversight action in order to safeguard the rights of its citizens. Electronic Communications and Privacy Act must be respected by all parties involved with online data (Castro, 2010).
Social media allows individuals from different parts of the world to share information freely. Facebook being part of social media plays an integral role connecting individuals who may be near or far from each. This article argues that preventing Facebook from introducing privacy policies is killing the spirit of innovation and discouraging it from discharging its mandate. It also denies most individuals right to information. It is important to allow the company to exercise its business rights freely. Given that the market is very competitive, every company is trying to put every effort to please its customers and increase its products and services.
Reference
Castro Daniel (2010). The Right to Privacy is Not a Right to Facebook.Washington: University Press.