This immediately raises the question for the reasons for this difference in usage, and if you follow the related news in both countries, you will notice a considerably difference in terms of the public discussion on the topic of Facebook: In Germany (and that really also includes the other German-speaking nations of Europe, i.e. Austria and Switzerland) there is a lively and often rather critical debate with regard to Facebook’s approach to users’ data, in particular the LIKE button and face recognition.
Personally, I have for quite some time been on the non-German and more relaxed side of the debate considering the German discussion on data privacy somewhat exaggerated and paranoid – after all, as they say, there is no such thing as a free lunch. And if users want to use the Facebook platform for free, giving up certain rights to their data is just the price you pay...
However, as I started to dig deeper into the issue, I have somewhat changed my mind on the topic and can indeed see and agree with certain aspects of the German discussion: And after all, it’s not as if anyone wants to ban Facebook – no, it’s just about being more accountable, more transparent and in some cases adding some functionality that gives people a choice. Surely, this should not be a major issue ...
So it’s good to see then today in the Wall Street Journal that the US Government is making some headway in making Facebook more accountable and transparent.
I’d love to hear what’s your view on the topic ? Which side on the debate are you on, and why ?
No comments:
Post a Comment