The new era of social media is just as dangerous for privacy as the previous one.
A year after Elon Musk became the owner of Twitter, now known as X, the consequences of his reforms are beginning to manifest themselves in the form of reduced advertising revenue and the departure of users. According to analysts, the platform's advertising revenue fell by 55%, while the number of active users decreased from 140 to 121 million. Experts predicted such changes due to the new moderation policy and paid verification.
This tipping point encourages us to think about the impact of social networks on the collection and protection of personal data. The human rights organization Free Press noted that even well-intentioned companies rarely change their corporate approach to data privacy. Giants like Google, X and Meta continue to collect huge amounts of data, including sensitive information, despite the risks to users.
In contrast, the new Mastodon and Bluesky platforms, founded by Jack Dorsey, offer greater privacy protection. However, the absence of strict laws does not oblige them to support such policies. Mastodon says it will maintain its privacy guidelines, while Bluesky and Meta have yet to comment on their policies.
However, there is some paradox in user behavior. As noted at the University of Michigan, even if you know about privacy issues, people can continue to use platforms that do not inspire their confidence in data protection issues. An example is Threads, which, while linked to Meta, follows the same extensive data collection policies as Facebook and Instagram. Nevertheless, Threads has attracted more than 100 million active users, which indicates the difficulty of choosing between convenience and privacy.
Free Press emphasizes that without government regulation, companies are unlikely to start making changes on their own, and confirms that the laws lag behind the reality of cyberspace.
A year after Elon Musk became the owner of Twitter, now known as X, the consequences of his reforms are beginning to manifest themselves in the form of reduced advertising revenue and the departure of users. According to analysts, the platform's advertising revenue fell by 55%, while the number of active users decreased from 140 to 121 million. Experts predicted such changes due to the new moderation policy and paid verification.
This tipping point encourages us to think about the impact of social networks on the collection and protection of personal data. The human rights organization Free Press noted that even well-intentioned companies rarely change their corporate approach to data privacy. Giants like Google, X and Meta continue to collect huge amounts of data, including sensitive information, despite the risks to users.
In contrast, the new Mastodon and Bluesky platforms, founded by Jack Dorsey, offer greater privacy protection. However, the absence of strict laws does not oblige them to support such policies. Mastodon says it will maintain its privacy guidelines, while Bluesky and Meta have yet to comment on their policies.
However, there is some paradox in user behavior. As noted at the University of Michigan, even if you know about privacy issues, people can continue to use platforms that do not inspire their confidence in data protection issues. An example is Threads, which, while linked to Meta, follows the same extensive data collection policies as Facebook and Instagram. Nevertheless, Threads has attracted more than 100 million active users, which indicates the difficulty of choosing between convenience and privacy.
Free Press emphasizes that without government regulation, companies are unlikely to start making changes on their own, and confirms that the laws lag behind the reality of cyberspace.
