Who is Max Schrems, and Why is he Famous?

Introduction

Did the Netflix documentary ‘Social Dilemma’ make you concerned about data privacy too? Then, let’s find out what Max Schrems did and what you can do to protect your data.

A pivotal step is, of course, managing your credentials and the websites you often login to. 

TeamPassword presents a simple yet effective way to store and share passwords as well as team logins to keep your business moving. You should sign up for the free trial here.

Alternatively, check out 7 signs that you need a password manager.

  

Why exactly is Max Schrems famous?

Maximilian (Max) Schrems is an Austrian privacy activist and lawyer known for standing up against colossal tech-giants, especially Facebook. Schrems wrote his term paper while at Santa Clara University on Facebook’s lack of awareness regarding the European Privacy Laws which, caught everyone’s attention. 

In 2011 he then filed his first set of complaints with the Irish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) against Facebook for its privacy violation including breach of European privacy laws. 

In 2013 he filed another complaint with the DPC targeting the company’s data transfer from Ireland to the United States. The complaint found its basis on the European Law allowing data transfer to a non-EU country only if the organization can assure enough “adequate-protection”. 

To read more about his work and the timeline, visit here.

  

What could they possibly do with your data?

Max Schrems was concerned about our privacy. However, the question arises, what could Social Media possibly achieve with our data? 

The content you see, read, or even scroll by is often customised based on your preferences which seems harmless, but have you looked closely enough? For instance, things seem to work fine if you’re into skincare or working out, but what happens when a user creates a Facebook group promoting hate content?

This basic rule of like-minded people connecting with other like-minded people is what led to the “Cambridge Analytica - Facebook scandal” during the 2016 presidential election. The content polarization has even induced riots and violence according to several studies. Not that virtual, after all?

The repercussions do not stop here, find more about the democracy, gender, and health dilemma here.

   

The Manipulation Game

Now that you know about the polarization, you might be wondering about the working of this black box. How could a machine possibly predict your life choices? Well, sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t but the whole concept of Machine Learning is to be better by learning where it went wrong. 

For instance, the algorithms keep track of the:

• Time spent on each post
• Kind of post a user most engages with ( reaction, comments, etc.)
• Facebook Groups
• Shared Networks, etc.

The sophisticated algorithms now know what notification to send for you to check your phone based on the very information you provided. The minute you tap on that notification is when the algorithm is alerted if the trick worked. In the case that it didn’t work, at least the algorithm now knows what doesn’t work.

   

The solution to your Social Dilemma

The infinite scrolling, fancy user interface (UI), pull to refresh, and other features have been designed keeping in mind human psychology. The notification sound works as the perfect distraction to halt your productivity. 

If there are so many distractions, why don’t we delete our accounts and put a stop to it all at once? As spiritual as it sounds, one cannot ignore the benefits of social media. More importantly, it might not be easy to give it up altogether.

A quick fix is, of course, turning off notifications. This way, you would only open the application when you actually want to. But, what if your profession demands an active social media presence? Perhaps you are in the marketing field or even running your own company.

In that case, you can neither deactivate your account nor turn off the notifications. However, you still want to be able to manage your accounts securely. TeamPassword allows you to add, share and, manage all of your internal and client passwords including social media. Know more about the plans & pricing or sign up for the 14-day free trial today!

Find more on how you can realign your relationship with social media & technology by taking action and striking a conversation.

Continue your research on security and encryption here!

  

Conclusion

Social Media can be overwhelming but one cannot ignore the immense benefits it provides connecting with the people you love. We can, however, keep our accounts safe from cyber attacks. Secure your account today by following these tricks to create a strong password.

At TeamPassword, we aim to provide the best software to generate and manage your passwords correctly. If you’re still unsure, check out our post on “Why do you need a password manager?”  or book for our free trial today!