Social Media Data Collection: “Harvesting” Personalities Online Ethical Analysis

Social Media

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Data Collection: “Harvesting” Personalities Online
Ethical Analysis
Ethical Analysis is a systematic approach of figuring out the right moral decision in a
particular situation. The approach of ethical analysis helps to analyze the situation logically with
both the options such as effective or moral (Sherman, 2019). Ethical analysis not only helps to
analyze the situation logically but also helps to take the right decision as per the moral values. It
is required to analyse the situation for the right decision (Miller, & Blackler, 2017). There are
many situations that have to be analyzed in terms of moral and immoral activities. Nowadays,
social media is a platform that provides the facilities or services to operators in order to spread
the awareness in the market or to entertain them. But it has been found that the sharing the
information becomes the risky platform for the operators. Social media applications leaked the
personal data of the users that affects the personal of the users. Facebook and Cambridge
Analytica is the well-known example in terms of leaking the information (Ngai, Tao, & Moon,
2015). In this paper, the case study of Cambridge Analytica will be examines with the ethical
analysis approach in order to analyze the situation logically in terms of effective or immoral
(Broad, 2014). The four ethical theories that can be used to analyze the situation are contract
theory, virtue theory, deontology theory and utilitarianism theory.
In the case of Cambridge Analytica, Facebook provides the personal data of users to
Cambridge Analytica. Cambridge Analytica is an American government consulting company
that provides the services to government to take the decision. Cambridge Analytica uses the data
to develop the information for the government that helps them to take the decision. Cambridge
Analytica attains the success to provide the services to government as the government of

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America uses the information to win the election by understand the voting favor of operators in
the elections (Raicu, 2018).
Analysis Applying Ethical Theories
Utilitarianism Theory
This theory defines the utility of happiness among the society by performing an act.
According to the theory, social media is the source that brings the happiness among the society.
In the case of Cambridge Analytica, Donald Trump and Cambridge Analytica gets the benefits
by using the information of operators. Cambridge Analytica has a deal with the government as
they get the money in exchange of their prediction of election. As the government wins the
election due to which Cambridge Analytica gets the money. In the terms of Facebook, leaking
the information of users affects their personal life that is why; it can be said that the action taken
by Facebook does not brings the happiness among the community but it spread the fear between
them due to which they faces the challenges and reduces to uses the social media for their
entertainment and sharing the information. According to the theory, Facebook has to bring the
happiness among the society but it brings the fear instead of happiness. It is unethical step that
taken by the Cambridge Analytica and Facebook for the community (Barrow, 2015).
Deontology Theory
This ethical theory defines an act which is right or wrong according to the guidelines. As per
this ethical theory, Facebook has to take the step to provide the facility to users in order to
entertain them (Meyers, 2018). As per the theory, Facebook leaked the personal information of
users to Cambridge Analytica in order to gains the money in the exchange of information. The
action taken by the Facebook is unethical or they are also failed to perform its all obligations
towards the community as they leaked their personal data with another company. According to