Procedures

• INTRODUCTION:

  Have students watch the opening statements from Senator John Thune (R-SD) and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Students will answer the questions below to provide background information on the hearings.

  VIDEO CLIP: Sen. Thune's (R-SD) Opening Statement at the Facebook Privacy Hearing (5:02)

  • Explain the events and actions that led to the Congressional hearings involving Facebook?
  • What are the purposes of this hearing?

  VIDEO CLIP: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's Opening Statement at the House Energy and Finance Committee (4:51)

  • How does Mr. Zuckerberg plan on addressing the concerns about consumer privacy and preventing future issues?

• EXPLORATION:

  Pick one of the following themes for the class to focus on. Have the students either view each of the videos or assign the videos to individuals and have them report out. Each theme has a discussion question that students should be prepared to answer.

• THEME- ADVERTISEMENTS AND THE PRIVACY OF USER DATA: Have the students watch each of the videos on how Facebook uses consumers' data to sell advertisements. Students can take notes using the Facebook Hearing handout (Google Doc). This can be done as a Jigsaw activity also. After hearing different points of views, students should be able to answer the following question:

  • How can Facebook improve the ways they sell advertisements while also protecting consumers?

• Advertisements and the Privacy of User Data Videos

  • VIDEO CLIP: Senate Facebook Hearing: Sen. Blumenthal (D-CT) on Terms of Service for Facebook (2:21)

  • VIDEO CLIP: House Facebook Hearing: Rep. Matsui (D-CA) on Data and Advertisements (1:57)

  • VIDEO CLIP: House Facebook Hearing: Rep. Guthrie's (R-KY) Question on Regulating Ad-Based Business Models (2:06)

  • VIDEO CLIP: Senate Facebook Hearing: Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN) on the Honest Ads Act and Transparency (1:50)

  • VIDEO CLIP: Senate Facebook Hearing: Sen. Whitehouse (D-RI) on Verifying the Source of Political Ads (1:34)

  • VIDEO CLIP: Senate Facebook Hearing: Sen. Coons (D-DE) on Ad Targeting Tools (2:32)

• THEME- RESTRICTING CONTENT:

  Have the students watch each of the videos on how Facebook restricts certain content. Students can take notes using the Facebook Hearing handout. This can be done as a Jigsaw activity also. After hearing different points of views, students should be able to answer the following question:

  • How (if at all) should Facebook restrict content?

• Restricting Content Videos

  • VIDEO CLIP: Senate Facebook Hearing: Sen. Cruz (R-TX) on Facebook being a Neutral Public Forum (3:38)

  • VIDEO CLIP: Hate Groups on Facebook (1:38)

  • VIDEO CLIP: House Facebook Hearing: Rep. Hudson's (R-NY) Question on What is Hate Speech (1:39)

  • VIDEO CLIP: House Facebook Hearing: Rep. Bill Johnson's (R-OH) Question on How Offensive Content is Reviewed (1:50)

  • VIDEO CLIP: House Facebook Hearing: Rep. Griffith's (R-VA) Question on How Facebook Addresses Fake News (3:27)

  • VIDEO CLIP: House Facebook Hearing: Rep. McKinley (R-WV) on Illegal Drug Sales on Facebook (3:24)

• THEME- REGULATIONS AND LEGISLATION:

  Have the students watch each of the videos on regulation and legislation on companies and platforms like Facebook. Students can take notes using the Facebook Hearing handout. This can be done as a Jigsaw activity also. After hearing different points of views, students should be able to answer the following question:

  • What, if any, regulations should be put on companies like Facebook to protect consumers?

• Regulations and Legislation Videos

  • VIDEO CLIP: Senate Facebook Hearing: Sen. Hatch's (R-UT) Question on Legislative Changes (2:39)

  • VIDEO CLIP: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Says Regulation is Inevitable (2:33)

  • VIDEO CLIP: House Facebook Hearing: Rep. Schakowsky (D-IL) on Self-Regulation and the Secure and Protect Americans' Data Act (1:27)

  • VIDEO CLIP: House Facebook Hearing: Rep. Welch (D-VT) on the Need for Legislation on Privacy Rights (3:57)

  • VIDEO CLIP: Facebook CEO House Hearing: Rep. Blackburn (R-TN) on the Browser Act (2:22)

• EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

  Letter to a Member of Congress- Research an issue mentioned in the lesson and write a letter to your member of Congress. In this letter, include what you would like your member of Congress to do with this issue. Support your argument.

  Research a Bill- Choose one of the bills mentioned in the videos. Research the bill using Congress's website. Determine who sponsored the bill, what the bill includes and where the bill is in the legislative process.

  Additional Prompts-

  • Should social media companies have the ability to sell your data if they are not charging for a service?
  • How can companies make their terms of service agreements easier for consumers to understand?