Facebook tracking is becoming increasingly intrusive. Just last week, the social media giant rolled out a new tool that allows businesses to track their employees’ activities and performance on the site. This new feature, called “Workplace Insights”, gives employers insights into how their employees are using the site during work hours.
The information that Facebook collects about its users is already staggeringly invasion. The site tracks everything from the articles you read and “Like”, to the ads you click on. It even tracks your cursor movements as you scroll through your News Feed. This information is then used to target you with ads and content that the algorithm thinks you’ll be interested in.
But the new Workplace Insights tool takes this a step further. It allows employers to see which employees are spending the most time on the site, what kind of content they’re looking at, and how long they’re spending on each task. It also lets employers see which employees are slacking off and spending too much time on Facebook during work hours.
This is a huge invasion of privacy, and it’s particularly troubling given Facebook’s history of mishandling user data. In 2018, it was revealed that the site had allowed Cambridge Analytica to access the data of millions of users without their consent. This data was then used to manipulate users during the US presidential election.
Given Facebook’s track record, it’s not hard to imagine how the data from the Workplace Insights tool could be misused. Employers could use it to target employees with political ads, or to dissuade them from taking part in union activities. Worse still, the data could be leaked, as happened with the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Facebook’s new Workplace Insights tool is a step too far. It’s an invasion of privacy, and it’s misuse could have serious consequences for employees.
Article written by Franck Jr. Walter
contact me at: franck [at] ketrium.com