Facebook considered least secure social media site

Tech
Social
Posted 19 March, 2021

By Charlie Coombs

London, UK

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A recent study suggests that Facebook is considered to be the least secure social media platform, despite TikTok’s ties to China and longstanding controversies.

Before receiving the results from the latest tech surveys you’d be forgiven for thinking that TikTok takes the crown as the least secure social media platform, at least as far as public opinion is concerned.

Plagued by accusations of Chinese spyware and repeatedly called out for vague personal terms of service, TikTok hasn’t had the best reputation since it entered the mainstream a year or so ago.

Yet, despite all that, Facebook came out on top as the least trustworthy and secure of the bunch, beating Snapchat, TikTok, and everything in between, though the viral music app did clock in at a close second.

A new study conducted by the University of New South Wales Sydney found that 65.9% of people are ‘concerned’ about Facebook’s security. 59.3% of participants felt the same about TikTok, while LinkedIn bagged the most confident users with only 37.6% saying they were worried.

Unsurprisingly, Gen Z seemed the least concerned overall as 36% said they were not apprehensive about security risks on TikTok.

This isn’t exactly a big shocker, given that most young people have grown up with invasive tech and obscure personal terms of usage on nearly every device they use, and many expect their online activity to be monitored. Look up any ‘FBI watching me on my camera’ meme if you don’t believe me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAsXGN2OX0c

The problem with banning TikTok (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAsXGN2OX0c)

Facebook, meanwhile, has been dragged through the mud countless times in recent years.

It is considered to be a junkyard of false information, outdated content, and easy to compromise. 57% of those surveyed said they’d had their account hacked in some way before.

Your grandad is more likely to be interacting with posts and statuses than you are, making it an unfavourable platform with younger social media users. Ask anyone under the age of 25 where they spend their time and they’ll say either TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram.

This is unlikely to shake things up long term, unfortunately, though it does provide more concrete evidence that Facebook is on its way out of public favour. Most use it out of necessity as a communication tool these days – Zuckerberg still has us wrapped around his finger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCHHQqF-Pnc

The Facebook Scandals (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCHHQqF-Pnc)

Perhaps it’s time for a new platform to enter the market. Bebo is currently relaunching in beta, with a specific focus on personalised content and profiles akin to the early days of social media.

We’ll have to see if it disrupts the market in any meaningful way, but the fact it’s focusing so much on the current, poor experiences elsewhere should be an indication that most of us are in search of something fresh.

Let’s strive for a world without fake news and hacked personal data. Which probably means we should all spend less time on Facebook, regardless of age.

Charlie Coombs

Editor in Chief London, UK

I’m Charlie (He/Him), the Editor In Chief at Thred. I studied English at the University of Birmingham and as a music and gaming enthusiast, I’m a nerd for pop culture. You can find me curating playlists, designing article headline images, and sipping cider on a Thursday. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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