Let the Zuckraking Begin

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Brace yourself for a Zuck-raking week.

In case you missed the news … Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook will be testifying in front of the US Congress this week.

I have a few predictions.

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Prediction 1:

This week is going to turn out to be yet another rant from Congress trying to reign in something they don’t understand.

This morning Senator John Kennedy spoke about not knowing whether Facebook has his data or who owns his data.

I looked him up.

He’s a lawyer.

He of all people should understand what a terms of use agreement means.

Let the Zuckraking Begin

There might be a bit of personal schadenfreude in watching the circus that is about to begin this week in the Halls of Congress.

This is going to be a week of Muckraking but I’m going to re-categorize it as Zuckraking

This is no Teapot Dome

You can see his segment on Face the Nation here. And read his comments in full.

Who, who owns my data? Do I own it or does Facebook own it?
~ Republican Senator John Kennedy

I’m sure he’s a smart guy. But, I predict he will be showing his ignorance about modern technology in the coming week. I would be very happy to be surprised. But, based on past exposure to what seems to be a pervasive mentality within the Halls of Congress I have low expectations.

I don't want to hurt Facebook.
I don't want to regulate them half to death.
~ Republican Senator John Kennedy

Some of the Facts

I think we all can agree that Facebook does have a lot of our data. I think we all have to agree that this is what we signed up for. Anyone that broke the seal on the license agreement should know what they signed up for. In case you forgot or never bothered to read them the links are below.

Did you break the seal?

I suspect this is just another opportunity for Congress to distract from doing their real job. One could argue this is their real job … protecting citizens. However, this Zuckraking seems to be yet another distraction from Congress doing all the things they have been avoiding. From doing the things that matter for national security, healthcare, infrastructure, and so much more that the party in power seems unwilling and unable to tackle.

Instead they will focus on another distraction in the form of Zuckraking.

Prediction 2:

Hedonic adaptation will return to normal very shortly

What Did You Sign Up For?

In case you haven’t read them yet … this is the information on the Facebook page before you opened your account.

By clicking Create Account, you agree to our Terms and that you have read our Data Policy, including our Cookie Use.

Kudos to Facebook for periodically reminded people of how to review, secure, and update their privacy. Sure, this might be a self-serving notification. But, they do it. It’s still incumbent upon you and me to decide what we want to share.

A few more predictions:

  • Congress will ask inane questions that ultimately will go nowhere.
  • Congress will feign surprise at the amount of detail Facebook has about citizens of the United States
  • Congress will rant and rave and make proposals that ultimately will go nowhere

The bottom line on social networks and social media is that you should pay attention to what you signed up for and to what the terms of use agreement says.

Anything else is icing on the cake and cannot (or should not) be blamed for a capitalistic endeavor that took advantage of something that you signed up for in the first place.

Which leads to a few questions Congress will likely ask:

  • Did Facebook monitor advertisements from various foreign agencies? Probably not.
  • Did Facebook do anything criminal? That is to be determined.
  • Will Facebook make any changes to their platform? That is also to be determined.

Bottom line: Congress wants to be seen as doing something. As being in charge.

Prediction 6:

The approval rating for Congress will briefly spike up. Then … they will be back to business as usual.

What do you think?

  • Will Congress actually do anything?
  • Will any proposed regulations stick? (Hint: Think lobbyists)
  • How long until Hedonic Adaptation takes over for this “scandal” of the week?

Thanks for reading. And, commenting.

In the meantime … Enjoy the Zuckraking

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As I wrote 9 years ago … Corporate Social Responsibility aka Corporate Authenticity is still valuable. Facebook and other social networks have done and continue to be agents of change for good. Take a look at my post Corporate Authenticity and The Role of Social Media for more details and where I talk about The 4 R’s of CSR.

Resources and additional reading on Facebook’s commitments (links):

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linkedinportrait-1444 (1 third smaller) from 3000 to 2000Jeff is business advisor, mentor and community engagement expert. He brings over 20 years of Channel Sales, Partner Marketing and Alliance expertise to audiences around the world in speaking engagements and via his writing. He has worked for Microsoft, Kodak, and K2.

Connect with me on Twitter @jshuey

Or connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Google+

He is a contributing author to Entrepreneur, Elite Daily, Yahoo, US News and to
the Personal Branding Blog with over 250 articles published.

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