Assignment 5. The Dangers of Technology.
Name: Mary Kristhelyn B. Manit Date Submitted: Feb. 11, 2023
Course/Section: GE5(8045)
Instructions: Read the article below. After reading, answer the questions that follow. Write
your answers on separate sheet of paper.
Questions:
1. What is this data privacy scandal all about?
• Republic Act 10173, commonly known as the Data Privacy Act of 2012, defines data
privacy as the individual's right to exist without being watched or interfered with, as
well as the right to have private information about oneself kept private. According to
the article, there is a scandal around data protection, and Facebook is being held
liable for failing to protect user data in the Cambridge Analytica data breach. Up to
87 million Facebook users downloaded a quiz created by a professor that collected
their personal information and improperly shared it with the British political
consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, which is at the center of the issue. Due to this,
the data security of Facebook’s 2 billion users of their application has come under
doubt and controversy.
2. How does this Facebook privacy scandal relate to Heidegger’s notion of revealing
of modern technology as challenging forth?
• The Facebook privacy scandal is related to Heidegger’s notion of revealing modern
technology as challenging forth because of what Facebook was formerly thought to
be bringing forth because it enables people from all over the world to connect
through the network. However, as a result of this article, it is now viewed as a
challenge because it has produced problems for the accounts that were involved in
the data privacy disaster. When we use technology, especially social media, we
reveal a part of ourselves that we are unaware of, and we are unaware that our
personal information may be among the 87 million accounts accessible to Cambridge
Analytica.
3. How are Facebook users 'enframed' in this particular data privacy scandal?
• Enframing is a realistic way of looking at nature, and it asks us to put nature in a
box or frame and try to regulate it in accordance with people’s preferences.
However, it appears that Facebook users are being unfairly blamed for this data
privacy controversy by merely taking a quiz created by a researcher at a university
that improperly collected their personal information and shared it with Cambridge
Analytica, a British political consultancy, and that Cambridge Analytica is in fact
controlling them against their will and not the will of the Facebook users. These
Facebook users were set up because they revealed the true nature of the social
media program they use despite the protection provided by it, all in the name of
satisfying their desire for satisfaction.
4. How do you think Facebook can be used in a way that is more consistent with
Heidegger’s idea of poiesis or a bringing forth of technology?
• Heidegger defined "poeisis" as the act of bringing forth or creating something for a
certain purpose. We must use Facebook for connecting with others, which is what it
was intended for, in order for this to be possible. One of the most crucial things we
require is connection with others, yet I believe that connectivity should also be
constrained. As we can see today, almost everyone uses Facebook and other social
media applications. Using these applications is not necessarily bad, but we need to
be mindful of how we use them. We must ask ourselves: do we overuse and abuse
these applications?
5. How can the Heideggerian notion of ‘questioning’ guide Facebook users toward a
beneficial use of social media?
• Heidegger asserts that when people pause, reflect, and inquire, they can gain a
wealth of knowledge. By allowing users to consider their objective before taking any
action on Facebook or any social networking site, the concept of “questioning” will
aid in guiding Facebook users in the right direction. Despite the widespread belief
that technology is a problem-solver, Heidegger argued that this belief must be
questioned since only by questioning technology can it be understood. People must
first think about and analyze how modern technology affects their lives before even
acknowledging their need for pleasure. They won’t be as likely to participate in
pointless social media activities as a result, choosing to use Facebook to spread
awareness, motivate others, and—most importantly—connect with the people they
care about.
