Facebook: Social Network or Global Manipulation?

“The Social Network,” which in Spanish is called “Red Social,” is the film that attempts to document the birth of Facebook. It premiered in the United States in late 2010 and Panama in early 2011. This story is based on the novel, “The Accidental Millionaires,” published in 2009 by the American writer Ben Mezrich, who wrote the book in 2007, when he was told about the true origins of Facebook. Subsequently, he sold the movie rights.

The plot unfolds in the midst of a controversial legal dispute. Jesse Eisenberg, who stars as Mark Zuckerberg, a 19-year-old Harvard student and computer genius, is accused of stealing the original idea to create Facebook. He appears to be a nerd with no ambition, who is not interested in fame or money. As it turns out, the truth is that Zuckerberg is a media star and the youngest rich person in the world. At only 26 years of age, his fortune is estimated at $15 billion.

According to its harshest critics, Facebook is an instrument of global manipulation. Seven years after its creation, it keeps 600 million users worldwide captivated. Experts estimate that by 2012 it will increase to 1 billion.

The network seems to hide information from users and is marketed as being noble and designed to unite friends and family. The London newspaper The Guardian revealed that, according to contract terms that are virtually accepted, users give Facebook exclusive and perpetual rights to all information posted on the site. Believing in their supposed privacy, users almost obsessively expose information about their lives that will become a source of wealth for global magnates and political espionage. Businesses and organized crime interpret consumer preferences.

Details of socioeconomic status and family ties have been used by kidnappers in Mexico, while data on thoughts allows U.S. intelligence agencies to build psycho-socio-political profiles. In late 2007, Facebook sold 1.6 percent of its shares to Microsoft for $240 million. The Central Intelligence Agency also made their contribution. According to The Guardian, $27.5 million was injected from a risky venture capital investment fund of the CIA. These transactions strengthen the value of Facebook and allow third parties access to the information contained in the network.

Some may think that this is paranoia because almost everything we do online becomes accessible information to companies and governments. The violation of our privacy is an imposition of the digital age, and we must be aware of it. The important thing is not to become victims of manipulation or expose our private lives so that others take advantage of it. The recent protests in Tunisia, Egypt and other places unwittingly demonstrate that some members attempt to reverse the true intentions of those behind Facebook.

Although deactivating or closing the account does not overcome the monster — since all information is kept in a database — maybe it could weaken its power. You decide: continue being deceived or defend the right of your privacy and individual liberty.