Exploring Ethical Challenges of Privacy on Social Media Platforms

This report delves into the ethical dimensions of privacy on social media platforms, a topic of increasing significance in the digital age. It begins with an abstract that frames the core issue: the ethical implications of user behavior and the responsibilities of social media administrators. The report explores the history of privacy concerns, research questions, and a comprehensive literature review. The literature review covers introduction to confidentiality based concern of the Social Media websites, the challenges with ethical issues faced by the privacy on social media websites and platforms, and trust within the anonymous challenges of privacy concerns on social media platforms. The methodology section details various research methodologies like case studies, interviews, questionnaires, surveys, and focus groups. The report then outlines the project plan, ethical considerations, and appendices, including a Gantt chart, ethical review form, consent form, and sample interview and survey questions. The analysis emphasizes the importance of user awareness, data breach implications, and the ethical frameworks needed to govern data collection and usage on social media platforms, demonstrating the complexity of balancing user privacy with the benefits of social media interaction.

Ethical Issues with
Privacy on Social Media

Abstract
The privacy ethics on the platform of websites and application that are based on the
social media has emerged and developed on a very interesting topic for the studies
that are based on this by the analyzers or investigators that research and also in the
law and justice departments over the past decade. Although there has been a high
rise and huge developments on the online social media, but then it has also resulted
in rise of several questions on the behavioural change due to the ethical issue. There
is also an ethical obligation on the developers that are in charge of maintaining the
websites. The main aim and objective of this research study is to examine the
behaviour and attitude that is reflected by the users and consumers on the websites
that refers to as the social media platforms and applications. This directly implies on
the matter of the privacy concern of the users and the vulnerability on the social
media platforms. We also objectify the matter and evaluate in the literature research
about the matter on how the user’s private information are misused on the
applications and websites, this phenomenon can be detailed as a general unethical
act.
.
Key Words
Ethical issues, Privacy, Social Media and Administrators.
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Contents
1. History.........................................................................................................................................4
2. Questions to be researched...................................................................................................5
3. Literature Review......................................................................................................................5
3.1 introduction to confidentiality based concern of the Social Media websites...........................5
3.2 The challenges with ethical issues faced by the privacy on social media websites and
platforms...........................................................................................................................................5
3.3 Trust within the anonymous challenges of privacy concerns on social media platforms.........7
4. Methodology Review................................................................................................................8
Review of Methodologies...............................................................................................................8
4.1 Case Studies.................................................................................................................................8
4.2 Interviews....................................................................................................................................9
4.3. Questionnaires..........................................................................................................................10
4.4 Surveys......................................................................................................................................10
4.5 Focus Group...............................................................................................................................10
4.6 Selected Methodologies...........................................................................................................11
4.6.1 Interview.................................................................................................................................11
4.6.2 Survey.....................................................................................................................................11
5. Conclusion...............................................................................................................................11
6. Project Plan..............................................................................................................................12
7. Ethical Issues..........................................................................................................................12
8. Consent Form..........................................................................................................................12
9. Pilot Interview..........................................................................................................................12
10. Pilot Survey..........................................................................................................................12
11. References............................................................................................................................13
12. Appendices..........................................................................................................................15
Appendix A: Gantt chart on the project plan.................................................................................15
Appendix B: Ethical Review Form...................................................................................................17
Appendix C:Consent Form..............................................................................................................18
Appendix D: Interview....................................................................................................................19
Appendix E: Survey.........................................................................................................................21
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1. History
It is recorded during the last few years, there have been different and many cases
that is registered and brought to notice where many people were involved in different
social media based application websites have been hacked and exposed by the
hackers. The different social media platforms can now be identified as key locations
for online networking, socializing and reflecting on aspects of daily life with different
people (Azerbaijan, 2017). Hence, it can be obtained from the data that the online
websites of social media networking are comprised of various data that are occurring
and happening at different types of forms. The websites contains various topics,
methods and types of discussion, attitude of the user towards policies and policies,
user behaviour and preferences on those websites. The data is also left in the form
in which users search and view traces on those websites that further enable to
collect the data with the opportunity to further researching in various ambitions within
or without the limitations of ethics by the researchers. Accompanying the
researchers ' opportunity to use or analyze this data is the responsibility to ensure
the highest ethical standards (Debatin, 2011). These standards are not always
followed in several cases, however, according to ethical considerations, and user
data on social media websites have exploded in many ways.
In professional codes of ethics, usually the data is exchanged by the users in terms
of search and preferences. The preferences bring the information of confidentiality
as the user’s right to fundamental development (Turculeţ, 2014). In the social media
platforms the ethical issue on the private information sharing or the privacy concern
is an ethical issue which is not only researched or limited to be researched by the
research domain only. It also has exploded in a huge scale in a very day to day life
and there are many scams that have been reported all around the world. We can
take the example of facebook which can clearly state that over one hundred and
twenty eight million people has visited the website platform in a daily basis for
communicating and sharing their views. This popularity of the social media website
and social media networking can be estimated. Platforms like Facebook are the kind
of social media platforms that are more vulnerable to the unethical exploitation of the
privacy of users. That is why the discussion topic is considered as the key point for
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investigating further, making it a great point to rely on the privacy of the social media
websites and also the ethics for the use of social media.
2. Questions to be researched
 Are the social media users aware of the social media platform privacy
concerns?
 What does the user realize on the fact of data breach from the collected data
within media platforms like this? What are the considerations on the ethical
viewpoint that can be included in the social media platforms for collection of
data??
.
3. Literature Review
3.1 introduction to confidentiality based concern of the
Social Media websites
The Social Media based application are used and operated in the current modern
state of the society is a continuous phenomenon. Media websites provide users with
easy access to networking for communicating with professionals, friends and family
individuals. This enthusiasm created by the Social media is used and accepted
widely by people for communicating and sharing information on daily and several
topics (Tan, Qin, Kim, & Hsu, 2012). It can be described as an application platform
which has facilitated by content generated by the user that also offers both a
valuable opportunity to collect behavioural data for academic and other analytical
purposes. The researchers as well as the departments concerned. User’s privacy
concerns are described by Moore that the privacy of the data on the websites of
social media platforms which is demonstrated by the control on the data that to in
their own platform which has been done by using social media platforms (Koohang &
Georgia, 2017). Therefore, the key aspect of the concern in today’s world for the
researchers and the domain’s specialists are basically the challenges faced ethically
on the user privacy on social media websites.
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3.2 The challenges with ethical issues faced by the privacy
on social media websites and platforms
User privacy control is the key concerns regarding the use of online social websites
that are known as the applications of social media websites. There are basically two
major and critical issues that can rise in the Social media platforms in case of
privacy. Most of the websites support software tools that can be used in a number of
ways to record activities of user and also the shared posts on their websites
(Emerald, 2011). Hence, privacy terms can be described and compared to as the
common interpretations of privacy that are referred as the most personal to an
individual user. The maintenance of the issue on privacy on social media platforms
are a complicated and difficult task. The privacy factor that creates on the social
Medias content is generally defined as the consent or a request that is made for an
individual user going through the websites, group or organization to disclose to a
third party what extends its information that is considered private to them. We can
therefore say that users ' privacy is a The personal information is accessed by
selective and controlled method access on the platforms for social medias. This does
not imply the information hiding structure.
Over the past decade, there have been considered and registered issues
relating to the privacy concern of user information that is identified in the social
media websites. The prime issues that are recognized and analyzed comprises of
the collection of information of the user for analytical applications, monitoring of
individual’s activities on internet, aiming the information for personals of the user that
have no context and collecting user data on Social media websites and applications
for analytical purposes by governments and companies. By the technology's fast
advancements, the technology generation poses new challenges that are privacy
related to the user’s privacy (Niiya, Reich, Wang, Mark & Warschauer, 2015).
Digital narratives according to this sort of websites of social media platforms
comprise user private information that is available to the general populace and it can
be manipulated in various ways, from hacking to misapplying that information that
can generate additional barriers for subscribers in the real world. For example, we
can take the case of Facebook, which has protective settings that are more difficult
to contrast with different platforms, implying that a few customers rarely experience
the inconvenience of others. Studies show that social networking platforms with tons
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of customers, for example, have significant security defaults on Facebook, However,
users are still perpetrators of ethically questionable or the use of the documented
information unethically (Webb et al., 2017).
Considering a very good and recent example, about the Cambridge Analytical scam,
which states about a British based company which has breached the internet based
social media sites and possessed Facebook data of the users. This has supported in
Donald Trump’s U.S. election campaign. In this scam, the identities of the users on
Facebook together with the network of their friends and the friend’s likings were
collected, unethically evaluated to attack digital user’s ads so that the choice was
made for the election movement stays in the favour of Donald Trump.
3.3 Trust within the anonymous challenges of privacy
concerns on social media platforms
In its original form, there can be no ethically based relationships that will be based on
moral values with the idea of confidence. The trust factor is indeed a should-have
socially responsible criterion in the existence of any society to build a society with
comprehensive communication between individual people. Believing someone also
makes you weak to someone else so that person can take advantage of somebody
else based on data that will be constrained. The idea of creating a link by the social
networking by both the digital community has resulted in the introduction of the
classic issues of assurance which can be overlooked in a current format (Wang &
Mark, 2013). Facebook, with has users that can count more than billion around the
world, for example, every user can have 500 acquaintances on user's own
friend list. An individual person some of them have not met in the digital community
personally or may not have been acquainted with them so they do not believe them
instantly. The internet community is the virtual community unlike the real community
where all the members are able to comply with the rules. Therefore Communities
on internet can access the problems whenever it comes to trusting anonymous
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profiles of users. This is a critical factor in privacy and security on all of those
websites of social media.
Trust level has so much to do with customer communication systems and security
issues on the digital world of websites with social media platforms. Most systems
have no requirement of people for allocating their original identity in social networks,
and users may remain anonymous. This allows those consumers to quickly gain real
users trust and play with their privately or confidentially available personal
information. Whereas a viable User-shaped alternative solution or as purchaser
ratings is supplied in commercial transactions on e-commerce websites where users
may rate everyone else on the basis of their customer experience, social networking
sites do not output the same in which many consumers can be anonymously
destructive (Kayes & Iamnitchi, 2015). The common eBay framework is a perfect
example of internet sites for e-commerce offering user reviews where negative
comments may be a indication that consumers or vendors were not confident.
Though, a few well-known social media sites like Facebook and twitter have still not
introduced the technique.
4. Methodology Review
There are several approaches to analyze Data, report research findings and ensure
the survival of a research study. Research strategies may also include classifications
in different practical and theoretical methodologies, including methods like case
studies, interviews, psychological tests and surveys, etc. Because there are benefits
and vulnerabilities in the different methods from both, quantitative and qualitative
methodologies, in this category, we can evaluate some of the above techniques and
then choose adequate techniques for the recently announced project for research
purpose.
Review of Methodologies
4.1 Case Studies
Research papers have been the comprehensive techniques used when investigating
it requires a thorough examination of a problem. When it is necessary to address
research issues in the fields of social science, education, information technology and
many others, it is identified as an academic and social science research tool. The
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primary reasons why case studies are often used as a research tool are to
Overcome its constraints standard of quantitative methods of studies in which
researchers are likely to be more interested in covering both the social and as well
as behavioural issues as a reaction to survey questions. Researchers could use
case studies to report the results much further than quantitative and qualitative
principles and to understand the user's behavioural conditions (Zucker, 2009). There
are several classifications of research papers, but most researchers agree on three
forms that can be called an experimental study, and a case study for explanation
purpose.
The case study's comprehensive literary works demonstrates that it offers a scientific
way to observe an incident that is aspect of collection of data that can be further
analyzed in order to report findings and results from both quantitative and qualitative
research domains. However, the process can be time-consuming and can remain as
per the requirements of the research issue over a longer period of time
4.2 Interviews
A conversational method is used for an interview which is conducted where a person
with a candidature of task of asking questions to the participants for gaining the
research information and for the purpose of investigating in a qualitative approach of
research. It considered being very well known process of collecting data in the form
of answers. The basic objective of the less discussed methods is about collecting the
information from different people to provide descriptive analysis in addition to the
typical data. Interview-based methods give researchers more control over
participants. The researcher asks the participants about their personal opinions and
experiences on the basis of their background, which can enable researchers in the
near future to investigate in a depth of analysis which is not like the quantitative
approach style (Alshenqeeti, 2014). The mentioned interview methods comprises of
different and many subgroups, like unstructured, communicative interviews, the
common interviews, open-ended and standardized interviews and closed-ended
interviews, which can be further categorized into three main types that are
structured, unstructured interviews and semi-structured types (Gill, Stewart,
Treasure, & Chadwick, 2008).
The advantages of interviewing have included stability in the method or the
processes that can be done for the benefit of the problems arise in the research
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process. When the interpretation or justification is to be given later, the observer
may ask the additional questions. However, the process is time consuming where
more effort is needed to describe the findings in depth and exploratory results
4.3. Questionnaires
Questionnaires can be considered as an approach to quantitative research that can
be used to gather data from the large audience group. In this method, in a particular
order, a set of questions are arranged to collect the participants ' answers.
Responses in the participants ' response forms are further used to analyze using the
quantitative approach and results are statistically reported using numbers and values
(Cox, 2008). Based on these values, a critical analysis is also presented as the
proceedings of the research method.
The benefits of this statistical methodology include boosting the speed of data
collection particularly in comparison to many other primary methods of data
collection enabled with lower requirement costs. However, while responding to the
questionnaires, the participants can sometimes be biased, which is a shortcoming of
this method.
4.4 Surveys
Surveys can be considered as a method of research that can be using both
qualitative and quantitative methods to ask people about such a subject or collection
of topics and afterwards characterize their answers. In addition, surveys, like the
questionnaire, allow the large audience to ask questions that can be further analyzed
the same patterns can be found through answers (Burton, 2007). The main purpose
of confucting the survey methods is to pursue two key points which describes
Population specific aspects and tests as well as observations on the nature of the
relationship within the same population.
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Compared to Other methods for collecting data, such as measurements, include the
faster and cheaper technique as a key advantage of this methodology. However, the
data collected by the help of the survey data made it easy to analyze, respondents
biased responses can lead to the result.
4.5 Focus Group
Focus is for a prevalent subjective mechanism that provides a deeper understanding
of what and how people assume about the research project requirements with a
deeper understanding. As part of the methodology, the panel of experts might be
incorporated or as major aspect of the research design during which specific topics
that can be covered by traditional interview techniques is necessary. The
questionnaire used to examine firmly closed-ended reactions from the participants
that could express the thoughts or feelings of each individual as part of the group. A
list is made where many questions are set in the list and then they are asked from
the participants in this research method with the intention of gaining insight into
group views on topics (Dilshad, 2013).
4.6 Selected Methodologies
4.6.1 Interview
In the interview, there is a process structure of conversation that allows Researchers
ask questions on specific topics face to face. Users ' privacy concerns are a sensitive
issue on social media platforms where most consumers are reluctant and provide
them with more personal information. Users are accessible more to characterize
from own experience and their views on social media website platforms. In this case,
an audition method This would not only help the participant to gather in-depth
comments, but also enable them to inquire questions in order to describe the user's
opinions. To collect the data in a much more accurate format, the two observers and
respondents will also make time to characterize the motivation of the people. That is
why we came up with the idea of interview and selected it as a way that addresses
the questions for research that were proposed.
4.6.2 Survey
As we know that the method of survey is more relevant method than the other types
of methods. It includes the faster and as well as cheaper way for comparing the
collection of data by the observations. Together with the interview, this is an optimal
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choice. For collecting a large number of data from a mass of people for the purpose
of conducting a survey termed for the privacy concern of the users and also to
analyse for the production of general conclusion on the project that is been
researched. . In this way project costs can be minimized as well as efforts for a
successful research project can be estimated more accurately.
5. Conclusion
The ethical problems of user’s concern on the security issues impacted on social
networks depend heavily on the user's understanding of these WebPages. For
investigating the opinions of the users and awareness while using social media sites,
this project has provided strategies in this project to gather users’ opinions,
responses and feedback using two implemented research methodology. Users '
Ethics of privacy issues are strongly dependent on social media websites on user’s
awareness of such websites. To examine user’s opinions, viewpoints and Sensitivity
when using social networking sites, we have delivered and strategized our work in
this programme to collect individual opinion of the users along with the feedback and
the responses that are considered from the public opinion using two suggested
research methods called interviews and surveys. As portion of the whole Project
proposal, the existing literatures have been evaluated from various source as well as
potential techniques of various kinds. For the completion of this project that was
done successfully a gist of description on selected tools that are used for research
methods are also described in the project.
6. Project Plan
The further break down of the project into five small responsibilities as part of the
Gantt chart in Appendix A.
7. Ethical Issues
As part of Appendix B, Complete and connect an socially responsible form.
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8. Consent Form
Appendix C contains the a consent form that is provided from the data collected
9. Pilot Interview
A question for an interview is developed and provided in the Appendix D.
10. Pilot Survey
In Appendix E, a pilot survey is designed and provided.
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11. References
Alshenqeeti, H. (2014). Interviewing as a Data Collection Method: A Critical Review.
English Linguistics Research, 3(1), 39–45. https://doi.org/10.5430/elr.v3n1p39
Azer, S. A. (2017). Social Media Channels in Health Care Research and Rising
Ethical Issues. AMA Journal of Ethics, 19(11), 1061–1069.
https://doi.org/10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.12.ecas1-1612
Burton, L. (2007). Survey Research : Choice of Instrument , Sample. Survey
Research, 1–26. Retrieved from
http://ocw.jhsph.edu/courses/hsre/pdfs/hsre_lect11_burton.pdf
Cox, A. A. A. A. (2008). Questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus groups,
(March).
Debatin, B. (2011). Ethics, Privacy, and Self-Restraint in Social Networking, 47–60.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21521-6
Dilshad, R. (2013). Focus group interview as a qualitative research method.
Ugeskrift for Laeger, 157(23), 3315–3318.
Emerald. (2011). The Ethical Challenges of Social Media: The Ethical Challenges of
Social Media. Business Ethics Briefing, (22), 1–4. Retrieved from
http://www.ibe.org.uk/list-of-publications/67/47
Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E., & Chadwick, B. (2008). Methods of data collection
in qualitative research: interviews and focus groups. Bdj, 204, 291. Retrieved
from http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/bdj.2008.192
Kayes, I., & Iamnitchi, A. (2015). A Survey on Privacy and Security in Online Social
Networks, 4, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.osnem.2017.09.001
Koohang, A., & Georgia, M. (2017). Social media sites privacy concerns : Empirical
validation of an instrument, 5(1), 14–26.
Niiya, M., Reich, S. M., Wang, Y., Mark, G., & Warschauer, M. (2015). Strictly by the
Facebook: Unobtrusive Method for Differentiating Users. In Proceedings of the
18th ACM Conference Companion on Computer Supported Cooperative Work
& Social Computing (pp. 159–162). New York, NY, USA: ACM.
https://doi.org/10.1145/2685553.2698996
Tan, X., Qin, L., Kim, Y., & Hsu, J. (2012). Impact of privacy concern in social
networking web sites. Internet Research, 22(2), 211–233.
https://doi.org/10.1108/10662241211214575
Turculeţ, M. (2014). Ethical Issues Concerning Online Social Networks. Procedia -
Social and Behavioral Sciences, 149, 967–972.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.08.317
Wang, Y., & Mark, G. (2013). Trust in Online News: Comparing Social Media and
Official Media Use by Chinese Citizens. In Proceedings of the 2013 Conference
on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (pp. 599–610). New York, NY, USA:
ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2441776.2441843

Webb, H., Jirotka, M., Stahl, B. C., Housley, W., Edwards, A., Williams, M., …
Burnap, P. (2017). The Ethical Challenges of Publishing Twitter Data for
Research Dissemination. In Proceedings of the 2017 ACM on Web Science
Conference (pp. 339–348). New York, NY, USA: ACM.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3091478.3091489
Zucker, D. M. (2009). How to Do Case Study Research. Teaching Research
Methods. Retrieved from
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/nursing_faculty_pubs/2%0A
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12. Appendices
Appendix A: Gantt chart on the project plan

Appendix B: Ethical Review Form
Summary of the proposed activity and the objectives
Interview- An interview process is implemented as a selected research method to gather detailed information from
social network website users. A face-to-face interview will help gather the participants ' additional information. To
report the results, the data collected will be analyzed.
Survey- Using of different types of survey tools on an online basis like Survey Monkey, a survey shall be conducted
by users of social networking websites about their privacy concerns. The survey targets nearly 300 online
participants to collect their observations and feedback that will be analyzed according to the research project's
requirements.
Identified issues of ethics: process of addressing:
.
- Anonymity of user-gathered data.
-Data -- United Kingdom with protection on data
act UK
-Participant’s privacy concerns
-Assurance to users that confidently will be
mentioned.
- Rules of protection on data act will be
followed.
-The privacy will be maintained and assured
to the participants through

Appendix C:Consent Form
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Appendix D: Interview
Interview on The Ethics of Privacy on Social Media
1. Gender: Female Male
2. Howmany times or ferequency of times do you get active
on the websites like Facebook or Twitter on social media?
3. What are your feelings about sharing your private
information on these websites?
4. Do you know about the fact that the information that are
shared by you are stored by the administrator?
5. Describe your feelings about being watched over on the
websites mentioned?
6. Are all the friends on your friend lists are known by you?
7. Do you keep too many accounts in the social media
websites for communicating with various types of
peoples?
8. What do you want to do about the infringement in your
private life made on the facebook and may be some
different websites?

9. Kinds of privacy infringement you are concerned about?
10. Do you know about the access information and
control is in your hand by using some tool generally
termed as a privacy tool on the social media website?
11. What are the informattions that are shared by you on
the profiles of your Facebook or Twitter?
12. Do you think the privacy concern of these websites
you use should be maintained?
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Appendix E: Survey
The Ethics of privacy on Social Media Survey
1. What is your gender?
Male
Female
2. What is your profession?
Employed
Unemployed
Student
3. Social media sites that you visit?
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
What’s App
Line
Yahoo
MSN
Others
4. How much are you active in the social Medias?
Once a day
Many times a day
Many times a week
One time at a week
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Less than once at a week
5. What is the purpose for using these websites?
Get connected with friends or family
Make new friends
Sharing personal views
Sharing videos
Sharing photos
6. Aware of the number of friends so you have in these social media websites?
Yes
No
7. Do you know upur behaviour and activities are under observation?
Yes
No
8. Do you know the information shared by you can be hacked?
Yes
No
9. Do you know you can control privacy settings of your website?
Yes
No
10. Show the extents of your concern about the privacy of the data on your profile in a rating
of 1 to 5 from being not concerned to highly concerned.
1 2 3 4 5
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