Work in groups and present the results of the following exercises to the class. Facebook has faced a lot of criticism. These exercises focuses on engagement with this criticism.
• Search for videos, documents, press releases, blog posts etc., in which Facebook presents itself. What kind of image does Facebook construct of itself? What are the major themes in its discourse?
• Search for documents, interviews, news articles, reports by critical scholars, critical journalists, civil society representatives, privacy and data protection advocates, consumer protection advocates and organizations as well as watchdog organizations that criticize the topics that Google presented in a positive light in the material you found earlier. Summarize the basic points of criticism. Compare them to how Facebook presents itself. Discuss which assessments you find more convincing and provide reasons for your assessments.
• The initiative Europe vs. Facebook filed a complaint about Facebook to the Irish Data Protection Commissioner. First, read the basic complaint documents and the Irish Data Protection Commissioner’s audit. Conduct a search about how Facebook, Europe vs. Facebook and other data protection commissioners (e.g. Thilo Weichert in Germany and others) have reacted to the audit report. Document the discussion and its basic arguments. Position yourself on the involved political issues. Present your results.