Takeaways for week no. 12

Brady Jacobson

Weekly Takeaways

• Facebook and Cambridge Analytica controversy

• The British political consulting firm “Cambridge Analytica” took data from Facebook users and used that data for the sake of Trump’s presidential campaign.
• By analyzing friends and friends of friends, the 270,000 accounts who took the quiz turned into about 87 million accounts accessed without express permission.
• It’s shocking how Facebook could justify taking information from 87 million people despite the fact only 270,000 agreed to the terms of service.
• Lead to much well deserved criticism against Facebook. Some much needed progress has been made in the conversation regarding privacy.
• The #deletefacebook movement gained traction.
• Mark Zuckerberg gave testimony to the U.S. congress. 
• Changes to Facebook were implemented to give users greater control over privacy.

• The Deep Web

• The Deep web is everything that is not searchable, and makes up 90% of the web.
• This massive percentage makes sense in hindsight, as the Deep web includes both items in the dark web and items that are simply protected by a firewall, such as personal accounts for Facebook or Universities.
• The Dark web is a part of the Deep web, and contains much illicit material. The Dark web cannot be found through search engines like Google. The existence of the Dark web is thanks to software such as Tor, which offers anonymity to users. 
• It is ironic that Tor, a tool used to access the Dark web and all of the illegal markets it contains, was created by the U.S. government.

• Virtual Currency 

• These are currencies offered online, allowing users to remain anonymous. Over 700 different cryptocurrencies exist. 
• Bitcoin is the most mainstream cryptocurrency out there.
• Virtual currencies are pseudo-anonymous. 
• Public ledgers lack user names, but a number does exist.
•  IP-address can be located, which can be used to link transactions to individuals.
• BitCoin and other currencies are recorded with a public ledger. Nodes are used to verify transactions and private keys are used to link to the owner.
• Monero, during transactions, uses multiple possible recipients instead of just the one recipient, making it harder for outsiders to track who receives the money.
• Virtual currencies make it easy for illegal activity to take place. It is commonly used as currency on the Dark web, and Bitconnect was involved in a Ponzi scheme.

• Zuckerberg’s Testimony

• Mark Zuckerberg, in the wake of Facebook’s controversy, gave testimony to Congress.
• Facebook not opposed to some regulations.
• Deleted accounts are completely deleted from servers and backups.
• Facebook has a duty to reveal if someone was hacked in a reasonable timeframe.
• Some questions were brought up by congress that can be discussed in great detail.
• Has Facebook become to large to be lead by only a few people?
• Should tech companies be considered an information fiduciary? After all, they are entrusted with personal info.

• Dark Web sites

• “Dread Pirate Roberts” created Silk Road. The man, Ross Ulbricht, was arrested and sentenced to life in prison without possibility for parole.
• One service on the Dark web is to be a middleman between the purchaser and seller, offering greater anonymity.
• This can easily lead to an exit scheme, where the middleman takes the money without finishing the transaction.
• Dark Web News attempts to find and alert users to possible exit schemes.
• Emails and other credentials are sold online through the dark web.

• Should accessing and/or using the Dark Web be criminalized?

• Accessing was a point of contention.

• Many locations in real life are illegal to enter without permission, such as military bases or the White House lawn. Is the Dark Web really that different?
• Not all sites on the Dark Web offer illicit material, so should the entire dark web still be illegal to access?

• The Deep web and Dark web offer users a chance to be whistleblowers and activists against oppressive corporations and regimes. Should it be illegal for these people to access the website?
• The Dark web debate is similar to the gun control conversation. Some say we shouldn’t blame the platform (guns, the dark web), but rather blame the users.