Topics: Threads, data concerns, privacy, algorithms, Meta, Instagram, Facebook, cybercrime,
Dr Nataliya Ilyushina, Research Fellow in the College of Business and Law
“The way Meta-owned Threads uses data from Instagram is concerning. Although the app discloses the specific data it pulls from users' Instagram accounts, it is typical for users to overlook the terms and conditions. The perceived legitimacy of Threads, derived from Instagram's longstanding existence and its vast user base, diminishes users' awareness of data privacy concerns.
“As most platforms offer some degree of functionality to control who can view the shared data, having multiple social media accounts is not inherently problematic.
“However, Meta’s increasing reach raises questions about the extent to which users will actually be able to maintain control and separate their content across platforms.
“Additionally, there is a need to assess whether users fully comprehend that their data from Threads and Instagram can be linked, combined, and ultimately owned by a private company. Meta also owns Facebook, and while, at the moment, Threads only uses Instagram user information, Instagram accounts are often linked to Facebook accounts, meaning that it is technically a straightforward process to match user information across all three platforms.
“Meta’s ever-increasing access to data is a threat to privacy.”
Dr Nataliya Ilyushina is a Research Fellow at the Blockchain Innovation Hub and ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S) at RMIT University. Her work investigates decentralised autonomous organisations and automated decision making, and the impact they have on labour markets, skills and long-term staff wellbeing.
Professor Iqbal Gondal, Associate Dean, Cloud, Systems and Security
“Every piece of information put on the internet can be aggregated across multiple platforms to build a complete profile of users.
“The reason Threads poses an elevated data security risk is that the nature of Meta’s platforms – such as the picture and video dominated Instagram versus text-heavy Threads – means that data from different sources can be linked, giving a more comprehensive view of users than previously.
“Photos, videos, text, location data, likes, shares, follows, DMs, view watch time, comments… they all come together to form a scarily accurate picture of who we are, what we like and dislike, and how to manipulate us.
“This data can be used by Meta across their platforms – but it can also be used by marketing companies which use it to send ever-more tailored advertisements to the users, to tempt the users to make purchases beyond their means and even match credit offers to pay for it.
“It can also be used by cyber criminals.
“Private information of users can be used by the cyber criminals for identity fraud, such as taking loans under their victim’s name, getting a credit card or opening bank accounts.
“Criminals could even use facial recognition features to access phones and attack smart devices to steal personal information.
“To preserve privacy on platforms like Threads, users should share minimum personal information. Privacy preserving algorithms should be considered to make data less available over the internet to even trusted partners.
“Education is key in making safe use of any online platform. Users should assume a loss of privacy when communicating on the internet. It is something they often forget – or don’t realise the extent.”
Professor Iqbal Gondal is the Associate Dean, Cloud, Systems and Security at RMIT University. He is passionate about translation research in cybersecurity, malware analysis, threat intelligence, blockchain, remote condition monitoring, mobile and sensor networks areas.
***
General media enquiries: RMIT Communications, 0439 704 077 or news@rmit.edu.au
.jpg)
