An analytical study conducted over several years has revealed that major social media companies collect massive amounts of users’ personal data, capitalizing on this information to generate billions of dollars annually.
According to a report released by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), these findings are based on inquiries sent in late 2020 to several leading companies in this sector, including “Meta,” “YouTube,” “Snap,” “Amazon,” and “ByteDance,” the parent company of “TikTok,” as well as the platform formerly known as Twitter, now “X.”
Data Collection for Commercial Purposes
The report explained that these companies engaged in “widespread surveillance” to achieve enormous financial gains by exploiting individuals’ personal data. It concluded that these companies gathered vast amounts of data, either directly or through data brokers, some of which may be retained for indefinite periods.
Lina Khan, Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, stated that the report clearly illustrates how social media companies and video streaming services collect vast quantities of personal data from their users, generating billions of dollars annually.
Khan added that one of the most alarming aspects is the failure of many companies to protect the online privacy of children and teenagers.
She further noted that these surveillance practices expose people to the risks of being tracked, prosecuted, or having their personal information stolen.
The report also pointed out that business models based on targeted advertisements have encouraged the mass collection of user data, putting privacy in direct conflict with commercial interests.
Although these practices may be extremely profitable for the companies, Khan argued that they pose a real threat to individual privacy and continuously endanger personal freedoms. Such risks include potential harm like identity theft or individual tracking.
Reactions from the Advertising Sector
In response, the “Interactive Advertising Bureau” defended its stance, noting that internet users are aware that targeted ads are the price they pay for free services online. The sector strongly supports a comprehensive national data privacy law.
David Cohen, the Bureau’s CEO, expressed disappointment over the FTC’s ongoing portrayal of the digital advertising industry as engaged in mass commercial surveillance.
Corporate Negligence in Protecting Users
The findings in the report were based on responses to inquiries sent in late 2020 to companies such as Meta, YouTube, Snap, Amazon, ByteDance, and X.
One of the criticisms in the report was that some social media companies failed to delete all the data that users had requested to be removed.
Additionally, the report indicated that these companies were generally lenient when it came to protecting children and teenagers who use their platforms. FTC staff referenced a report suggesting that such platforms could harm the mental health of young users.
The report urged social media companies to reduce their data collection practices and called on the U.S. Congress to pass comprehensive privacy legislation to curb surveillance of those using these platforms.
Growing Concerns Over Data Use in Wars
Activists have previously warned about the potential exploitation of these data vulnerabilities by governments for spying on users, especially given the widespread use of applications like “WhatsApp,” which was marketed as a secure communication tool.
Although “Meta,” the company that owns “WhatsApp,” has strongly denied any allegations of providing a backdoor for governments, the “Sada Social Center” expressed concerns about potential privacy violations through the app, particularly following the recent Israeli war on Gaza.
The Sada Social Center, which monitors and documents digital violations against Palestinian content, called for an urgent investigation into the allegations that Meta leaked Palestinian users’ data on the “WhatsApp” messaging platform to the Israeli military, which then used this data to target civilians in Gaza during its AI-driven attacks.
According to reports monitored by the Sada Social Center, one of the sources of intelligence for the Israeli “Lavender” system came from data collected from “WhatsApp” groups. Lavender identifies Palestinians targeted by the Israeli military in airstrikes by tracking their communications through the app or the groups they join.
Lavender is an artificial intelligence system used by the Israeli military to bomb Palestinians in the Gaza Strip with minimal human supervision. It employs a lenient approach to decision-making in targeting and execution, determining who will be killed in Gaza based on assumptions, often resulting in entire families being bombed in their homes. A report by “+972 Magazine” and “Local Call” cited Israeli intelligence sources stating that Lavender played a central role in the Gaza war, processing vast amounts of data to swiftly identify victims for targeting. Four sources in the report said that, in the early stages of the war, Lavender had listed up to 37,000 Palestinians as targets.
The same sources added that Lavender compiled a database of tens of thousands of individuals classified as low-ranking members of Hamas’ military wing.
This was used in conjunction with another AI-based decision support system called “Gospel,” which recommended buildings and structures as targets.
Accusations by Paul Biggar on Data Usage
In a related context, American tech entrepreneur Paul Biggar raised similar concerns and allegations about a possible connection between “Meta,” the owner of WhatsApp, and the Israeli AI system “Lavender,” used to identify targets for the Israeli military in the ongoing Gaza war.
Biggar, a computer engineer and American entrepreneur of Irish descent, is one of 40 prominent tech figures who launched the “Tech for Palestine” initiative last January. This initiative aims to end what they called “the technological support for Israel’s war on the Palestinian people” in Gaza and the West Bank, and to work towards a free Palestine.
Biggar, the founder and former CEO of “CircleCI,” who had previously worked on projects with Google and TikTok, holds a PhD in scripting language analysis. Along with the tech group, he sought to highlight the negative role some technologies play in armed conflicts.
In a lengthy blog post, Biggar questioned Israel’s practices in obtaining sensitive data from apps like “WhatsApp.” He explained that Israel might be killing civilians simply because they were in “WhatsApp” groups with Hamas-affiliated individuals.
According to Biggar, this raises significant concerns about how Israel is obtaining such information, suggesting that the suspicion alone is highly alarming as it doesn’t disclose how Israel gained access to the data without “Meta’s” involvement.
