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Term Paper

Data Privacy in the Age of Social Media: Balancing Rights

and Data Collection Practices

Course Title: Improving Reading and Writing Skills

Course Code: ENG 102
Section: 21

Submitted To:
Course Instructor: Anowara Rayhan Arusha
Lecturer, Department of English
East West University.
Submitted By:

Tahian Ahmed Nowrin

Fardin Al Jawyad

Md. Yousuf Huzaifa

Rumaiya Mim

Submission Date: 30th August 2023

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Table of Contents

Topic Name Page Number

Introduction 3
Literature Review 5
Methodology 6
The Findings & 7
Discussion
Limitations 8
Conclusion 8
Reference 9
Appendix 11

Name ID Distribution
Tahian Ahmed Nowrin 2022-2-60-053 Abstract, Introduction,
(Research Background,
Objective, Research
questions)
MD. Yousuf Huzaifa 2022-1-60-162 Literature review,
References
Rumaiya Mim 2022-1-30-027 Methodology, Limitation
Fardin Al Jawyad 2023-1-60-168 Findings and discussion,
Conclusion, Appendix
(Interview Questions)
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Abstract

The purpose of this research is to raise awareness about data privacy and individual‟s right to keep
their data private. However, we sometimes are not aware of how vulnerable position our data is
due to the advancement of technology. As a result, we do not act accordingly and later we face
harsh consequences. This paper investigates the present situation of data privacy, and what should
and should not be the mentalities of an individual on the internet or in social media platforms. We
interviewed the interviewees face to face and then organized our data accordingly. The result of
our study demonstrates the harsh reality of the present situation of social media users. Only 4 out
of 15 people are aware of data privacy breaches. The study suggests that the reason why so many
people are unaware of data privacy is the technical complexity and ignorance of the possible
consequences of data breaches.

Introduction
Research Background: Data privacy is the autonomy of an individual to decide for themselves
that their personal information is displayed in public or to a selected audience to what degree. This
can either be someone's name, their location, their contact information, or their online or real-world
behavior. Suppose, someone may want to hide some people from a particular Facebook post or
status, dedicating it only to a selected audience. Because of the increased internet usage over the
years, data privacy has gained a lot of significance. Many websites, applications, and social media
platforms often collect users‟ data to provide better services. However, some websites and social
media platforms can cross the ethical boundary of data collection and usage, resulting in less
privacy. For instance, eighty-seven million Facebook users‟ profiles were allegedly provided to a
political consulting firm which was reported by British media. (Chen, Gu, Wei & Lv, 2023). Also, a
large-scale leak of data was reported in 2017, including 146,000,000 pieces of personal information
by Equifax (Chen, Gu, Wei & Lv, 2023). According to the protection motivation theory (PMT) a
theoretical framework, three factors influence a user‟s behavior: the costs of response, the burnout
of privacy, and regulatory focus. Data which was analyzed from a survey of four thousand eight
hundred internet users explained these three things. First, users who experience privacy invasion,
have increased willingness to protect their privacy. Second, the burnout of privacy has a concealing
effect. This means that if there are more privacy-invasive experiences , the privacy fatigue will also
increase; which reduces users‟ intentions to protect their privacy. Third, individuals who are
focused on promotion, for protecting personal information alone are not enough to prevent privacy
fatigue. (Chen, Gu, Wei & Lv, 2023). All persons have a common interest in the right to privacy, so
privacy is something we all ought to value. Our privacy may be lost forever if we do not value our
privacy. So, individuals and society must recognize the value of privacy and take measures to
protect it.

Objectives: This research aims to examine the current landscape of data privacy and user
behaviors. Why the social media data collection needs to be monitored and why data privacy is so
important. How social media users behave, and why the awareness of data privacy needs to be
spread.
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Research Questions:
1. Why do social media platforms collect users‟ data, and what they do with it?

2. What are the attitudes and perceptions of social media users regarding data privacy and how
do these factors influence their behaviors and interactions on these platforms?

3. What are the potential risks and harms that an individual may face due to a lack of data
privacy on social media platforms?
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Literature Review

Social media is a platform where personal information can be easily collected, processed, and
disseminated (Gasimova, 2022). Privacy issues take place proportionally to the progress of modern
technology (Tang, Akram & Shi, 2020). With technological advancements, it is now possible to invade
an individual‟s privacy without physically accessing his/her place or property.

The types of data at risk can be our location, health information, sexual orientation, religious
identification, facial recognition imaging, private messages, personal photos, and more, depending on the
social media platforms (Gasimova, 2022). Such kind of personal data collected by social media
platforms is vulnerable to scraping, hacking, and data breaches (Gasimova, 2022). Therefore, today,
social media is not the safest place to share personal information. For instance, a political consulting
firm named Cambridge Analytica used Facebook data in the presidential election of the United States in
2016 to influence voter behavior. The scandal involved stealing Facebook data of 87 million people for
advertising to influence during elections (Chen, Gu, Wei & Lv, 2023). Recently, more than 780,000,
personal information such as full names of individuals, email addresses of people, phone numbers, and
also workplace information was breached and leaked from LinkedIn. However, LinkedIn has denied
reports of this data breach (Chen, Gu, Wei & Lv, 2023). A Pew Trust survey was done and according to
it, 80 percent of internet users are concerned about corporations and websites stealing their data on social
media (Gasimova, 2022). We might think that we are in charge of our social media privacy, but in
reality, it is impossible to control social media privacy in our way. This is because our friends and
relatives will still disclose our personal information, such as our pictures, locations, and more, on social
media even if we take measures to protect our privacy on social media, including deleting our social
media accounts (Gasimova, 2022). To have a balance of privacy for all of us we need to implement the
toughest laws on privacy. An example is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as well as
increased regulations of organizations responsible for protecting personal information (Gasimova, 2022).
For example, the EU has recognized the importance of upgraded security as technology and the internet
have advanced, and the European Data Protection Directive was adopted(Gasimova, 2022). The higher
the threat of privacy the stronger the sense of risk in the user it would be, and thus users will be more
inclined to take steps to protect their data. (Zhang, Tian & Chen, 2022).

If privacy issues on social media are taken lightly, then digital privacy issues will invite more and more
cyber attacks. They might steal and exploit the sensitive records of users, which can lead the companies
to lose their reputation, and social media users might lose their trust in these companies. So, data privacy
must not be ignored, even if we think that we have nothing to hide. What we should be doing now is
actively participating in the fight against the challenges that are causing the death of data privacy in this
age of modern technology(Gasimova, 2022).
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Methodology

The methodology is a section of a research paper. It describes how the research was conducted.
It is a technique that is used to select, identify, process, and analyze information about a topic.
Instruments: For this research, we chose 15 students from our university. They were maximum
2nd -5th semester's students. We interviewed them individually. They were very conscious of
their social media usage.

Samples: We used an in-person qualitative research method to carry out this study. We came up
with several questions to ask the interviewees to accomplish the goals and objectives of the
research. Qualitative research entails spotting common patterns in the replies of interviewees
and critically processing them.

Methods of Data Collection: We conducted this study in a face-to-face qualitative research

methodology, asking the participants several questions. Words, feelings, emotions, and other
intangible components are directly related to qualitative research. That‟s why we chose this
method.

Methods of Data Analysis: We asked interviewees questions, discussed the answers with them
for further details then collected these interviews by writing them down on paper and then we
organized the data accordingly. We have also maintained the theme of the interview questions
which is: The importance of Data Privacy.
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Findings and Discussion

From the information we gathered, we have come up with a harsh reality check. 11 out of 15
people are unaware of data privacy breaches. They use social media platforms without fully
understanding the potential consequences of data collection. Also, the constant evolution of
technology and privacy policies could make it challenging for the general public to keep up
with the latest developments. Those who are aware of the potential risks of sharing personal
information online act with great caution, while others may not have been fully aware of the fact
that social media platforms can collect and use their data.

Individuals who are unaware of data privacy issues and how their data is collected on social
media platforms may display behaviors that are different from those who are informed. People
who are unaware of data privacy may voluntarily share sensitive details like their location, daily
routines, and personal experiences on social media platforms. They are more eager to accept
friend requests from unknown individuals, thus increasing the risk of interacting with malicious
people. They do not take the time to adjust their privacy settings on social media platforms.
They make their personal information and posts open to a broader audience.

They readily grant permission to third-party applications without fully understanding the terms
and conditions, which could lead to unintentionally agreeing to data collection practices. They
ignore the terms of service and privacy policies of social media platforms, which could expose
their data to unauthorized access.

We have found that these kind of behaviors have some serious consequences. Neglecting
privacy settings and oversharing personal information can make it easier for malicious actors to
gather enough data and misuse them. Accepting unknown individuals‟ friend requests can
increase the risk of experiencing cyberbullying, harassment, unwanted attention or stalking
from malicious users. No doubt that engaging with third-party apps and neglecting online
security practices can expose individuals to a higher risk of data breaches and hacks, which
leads to unauthorized access to their personal information. Sharing location information and
daily routines excessively can potentially enable stalkers or individuals with harmful intentions
to track and threaten individuals. A lack of awareness about targeted advertising and data
collection practices could make individuals fall for online scams and fraudulent schemes.
Ignoring terms of service and privacy policies may allow social media platforms and third
parties to misuse an individual's data without their consent. Sharing excessive personal
information could potentially put individuals and their loved ones at security risk or targeted
crimes. Falling for online scams could lead to financial loss and theft of sensitive information.
A lack of understanding about data collection practices can lead to a loss of control over one's
personal information. Inappropriate or offensive posts shared on social media can lead to
permanent damage to an individual's personal and professional reputation.
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Limitation
The purpose of this term paper's research was to increase awareness of and consideration of the
need for data privacy. If we had more time to do this research by questioning more people, we
would have been able to get more information about the behaviors of data privacy-unaware
people and would come up with some better strategies about how to make the social media
platform more user-friendly. Due to the small number of group members, we did not have the
means to carry out extensive research. So we could not collect more information.

Another issue was that technical knowledge is needed for a better understanding of social
media. Due to this most people remain ignorant about data privacy and behave readily without
putting any restraint on themselves, which leads them to exposing their data to unauthorized
access.

Conclusion
To conclude, we strongly believe that for our research we have chosen a topic that required light
to be shed upon it. As because when data falls into the wrong hands, it can harm people,
businesses, and organizations. For example, if there is a data breach at a government agency,
this can put top-secret information in the hands of an enemy country. This can put the
government in a very vulnerable position and subject to blackmail. Business organizations are
vowed to look after their customers‟ data properly. If sound data protection practice is
established, businesses will also reap the additional benefit of achieving unparalleled
satisfaction from their customers. Beyond these practical implications, privacy is also
considered as a vital human right. Our term paper will make the students aware of data breaches
and take safe measures to protect their data.
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Appendix A: Interview Questions

1. How familiar are you with the types of personal data collected by social media platforms?

2. What are your primary concerns regarding data privacy when using social media?

3. Have you ever adjusted privacy settings on social media platforms? Why or why not?

4. How comfortable are you with targeted advertisements based on your online activities?

5. What measures do you believe social media platforms should adopt to enhance data privacy?

6. Have your online behaviors been influenced by concerns about data privacy?

7. In your opinion, to what extent should users have control over the data collected by social
media platforms?

8. How well-aware are you with existing data protection regulations applicable to social media
platforms?