A guest blog post from York-based design studio United by Design
There is a well-known phrase that states ‘if you’re not paying for the product, you are the product’, which can definitely be used in reference to the recent scandal surrounding Facebook and Cambridge Analytica.
The news that broke back in March revealed that/reported that the personal data of millions of Facebook users had been exploited and misused by the analytics firm.
Allegedly acquiring the data by violating Facebook policies, Cambridge Analytica built psychological profiles of the users, which were then used to target political adverts - ultimately showing how the ‘customer’ unwittingly/inadvertently/unknowingly became the ‘product’.
Do we need to ask ourselves, whether in this digital age, we have sacrificed our privacy in order to access the freedom of the internet? And if so, is this a movement that most of us have come to accept?
Written by Laura Harford (Copywriter at United by Design)
