Abstract
Facebook is an online social networking site, which as of spring 2018 had over 1.45 billion daily active users and 2.2 billion monthly active users, built over 14 years. It is the most popular social media site in the United States. The platform aims to foster interactions between “friends” through updates, sharing content, and playing games together. Facebook has become a household name, not only because of its ubiquity, but also its prominent use/notoriety in social movements (including the Arab Spring in 2011), elections (e.g., the 2016 US presidential election and allegations of Russian interference), disasters (e.g., Facebook's use in volunteer rescues during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and citizen reporting (e.g., Philando Castile's killing on Facebook Live). Though Facebook initially began as a social network for college students, it has become ubiquitous among diverse demographic groups both in developed and developing countries. This growth is not without issue, however. The platform's high level of knowledge of users has made it a tempting target. In 2018, Facebook made world headlines as it became known that 50 million personal profiles were harvested and sold to Cambridge Analytica, leading to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg testifying for US Senate and House hearings.