Cambridge Analytica Facebook Scandal Update

The changes to the Facebook algorithm, directly refer to changes in the news feed algorithm. The visibility of content shown in the newsfeed is sorted to prioritise content from family and friends, to decrease the amount of public content from brands and businesses.

Businesses must rethink their marketing strategies to focus on Facebook ads as posts from companies will be hidden and reach less people in their newsfeeds organically. The changes however, are framed around posts and content, not advertisements, so your paid-for-ads won’t be replaced or removed. It is predicted that there will be a rise in demand as businesses begin to rely solely on ads as their Facebook marketing strategy, in turn, prices will undoubtedly rise.

The data of 50 million Facebook users has been exposed from a Facebook quiz app built by Cambridge University researcher, Aleksandr Kogan, that uncovered a loophole in Facebook’s API. Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics company that worked on the election campaign for Donald Trump, extracted data through the Facebook quiz app from all those who participated in the quiz, and their friends.

Regardless that the social media platform prohibited the selling of collected data, Cambridge Analytica disregarded this and left Facebook to answer the question as to how they allowed a third party to not only develop an app, that’s entire purpose is to collect data and information from points of direct contact and their external connections.

Facebook reinforces that the security of their user’s data and information is critical, and in their vulnerable state, they need to act fast and resolve concerns. Until the issue is fixed, reach estimates will now be hidden in campaigns using custom audience targeting, including look alike audiences. But, so far, there has been no advancements in evidence of the misuse of Facebook’s tools.

The facebook scandal will affect your marketing campaign if your business is targeting custom and lookalike audiences or includes content posts that will now be hidden to the public, these are some extremely common aspects of a typical social marketing strategy.

We can help you.

Whitehat specialises in Facebook strategies, our knowledge in social advertisements can not only benefit your business, but keep it out of the darkness of Facebook’s new algorithms.

If you need assistance with your campaign or want to know more information, give us a call and we’ll help you.