Facebook, once the social media darling that could do no wrong in the eyes of users and investors, was hit with another setback recently. Researchers at a cybersecurity firm discovered Facebook user information readily available on cloud computing servers run by Amazon.com.
From an internal audit perspective, Facebook's woes offer a clear and compelling lesson: Data, once viewed solely as an asset to be leveraged, now must be viewed as a potential liability or risk, as well. Demand is growing for greater protection of data, or more precisely, protecting the personal identifiable information that makes such information a treasure trove for marketers, retailers, political campaigns, and others who want to influence what the public thinks and does.