April 9 (UPI) — Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak said he’s abandoning his Facebook account because of concerns about the company’s use of personal data.
Facebook is currently enmeshed in several scandals, including the issue of privacy protocols in the wake of user data furnished to British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. Facebook acknowledged that up to up to 87 million users may have had their data improperly shared.
Wozniak, who’s kept a relatively low profile since leaving Apple’s day-to-day operations in 1985, said in an email to USA Today, “Users provide every detail of their life to Facebook and … Facebook makes a lot of advertising money off this.”
“The profits are all based on the user’s info, but the users get none of the profits back,” he added. “Apple makes its money off of good products, not off of you. As they say, with Facebook, you are the product.”
Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said last week users would need to pay to keep the company from using their personal data, although the company does not currently have a service tier for those seeking such privacy.
