ENGIN 183C
2nd February 2026
Artaya Darlana
Reading this article made me realize that new technologies often function as a double-edged
sword: even when they are created for beneficial purposes, they can generate ethical and social
problems. For instance, facial recognition was developed to automate and simplify
authentication, enhance security and improve efficiency or in Facebook’s case, the company
framed facial recognition as a way to improve user experience by automatically identifying
people in photos, helping users tag friends more easily. On the surface level, these applications
seem convenient.
However, this article also made it clear that these benefits come with many ethical concerns,
particularly around consent, privacy and misuse. Facebook’s facial recognition system was
enabled by default meaning user’s biometric data were collected without clear consent. This
raises serious concerns about whether the users understand what the data is being stored and
how it could be used in the future. Cambridge Analytics did not directly use facial purposes but
the scandal shows how personal data collected for "harmless purpose” can later be exploited to
influence political behavior and public opinion about the United States and Europe. Thus, it is
very important to consider the multi-dimensional nature of the product and ensure that its
benefits do not come at the expense of user safety or ethical responsibility.