After Facebook was exposed for selling private information about their users to Cambridge Analytica, new controversy and questions have arisen about the security of those who use social media platforms, and what information private companies can or cannot sell to other establishments.

Facebook, however, is not the first company to disclose private information, or at least have it exposed to the general public, even accidentally. Back in 2014, some five hundred million accounts on the search engine Yahoo had their accounts hacked and their private information released. In 2017, the consumer credit reporting agency Equifax had their data banks breached, exposing and theft of thousands of private information.

As both social media and the concept of privacy are still relatively new, there are relatively few laws that are in place written specifically for the purpose of regulating social media.

Out of the few laws that do exist, most date back to the previous century, with the passing of legislation such as the Privacy Act of 1974, which establishes the code that governs the collection and use of private information by businesses or organizations.

With new evidence coming up about the abuse of private information by companies, trust between social media users and their respected tech companies is decreasing to an all time low.

However, many have not completely given up on tech companies and social media outlets, including Facebook. Despite the prospect of having their personal information revealed to hackers or sold to the military, a study conducted by the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer showed that most Californians trust tech companies enough to share their private information with the companies, however, most do want some form of regulation to keep these companies in check.

From a nationwide standpoint, trust in tech companies is at an all-time low, and is continually decreasing as the days go by. A study conducted by the Morning Consult revealed that companies such as Apple and Google have less people trusting their data with them in 2018 as compared to 2017, as well as more people who distrust them.

“There’s been research that Apple does track your information, so I really don’t trust them that much,” said Maanuj Vora (‘20). “So I just don’t trust social media or any platform that much.”

With trust in tech companies at an all-time low, it’s a wonder how much private information an individual should share with their various media outlets.