Delete Facebook – Not Yet

5 Minutes With Charles #49 – Delete Facebook – Not Yet.  I noticed last week that there was a growing amount of panic on Facebook.  So I also seen a lot of reactionary posts and articles that it seem like the world was falling apart.  Since then, I have also seen a sputtering movement to hash-tag, Delete Facebook.  Should you be ready to join the movement to Delete Facebook – Not Yet.

By now you have likely heard about Facebook’s latest data privacy scandal surrounding Cambridge Analytica.  If you do not know what all the fuss is about, I highly recommend that you do a Google search and learn.  And this isn’t just for marketers and business owners, this latest Facebook scandal literally should concern everyone.

Since there are a lot of stories and news reports, I won’t waste time, energy or electronic real estate to do the same.  Marky Mark Zuckerberg and the Facebook Funky Bunch are reeling from the public outcries in the U.S., U.K. and now Australia too.  What I will do is cut right to the chase and address the things that really matter in this mess.

So what does this have to do you and how does it affect businesses?  First, we know that data mining firms have been gathering information for many years using Facebook and apps.  Secondly, this isn’t new news, this situation has been festering for two years now.  Thirdly, it’s not real clear just how useful any of that information has been.  Last but not least, most news reports failed to mention anything about end-user’s responsibility.  To know what data they are allowing access to with apps.

Should You Delete Facebook – Not Yet

Here’s the way I see it.  The changes to Facebook advertising doesn’t really affect anyone because there are ways of working around it.  Using the tools provided in Facebook Ad Manager is much more efficient and accurate than trying to guess.  In other words, you don’t need someone’s email address or phone number in order to market to them.

In conclusion, while Facebook is on the hot seat, it doesn’t mean that they are going to go away any time soon.  It also means that things are going to continue to change as we learn more about this data privacy breach of trust.  And as I stated above, the individual users like you and me need to do a better job of knowing just what information is shared when we install apps.