<hl>The Netflix hit struck a chord with viewers, and that’s not necessarily a good thing.<hl>

The Netflix Documentary “The Great Hack” tells the story of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data manipulation scandal that made headlines in early 2018. The movie takes a closer look at the many factors leading up to the massive voter data manipulation performed by the company and how it influenced the 2016 US election and the UK Brexit referendum results.

The scandal, which led to Mark Zuckerberg’s appearance in front of the US Congress, raised many questions that remained unanswered. And while the movie doesn’t necessarily answer them all, it definitely continues the impressive global impact and uproar.

Viewers are shocked to learn what went on behind closed doors and computer screens, with many deleting their Facebook profiles or sharing their sentiment online (which is rather ironic, if you think about it). It seems that The Great Hack has really struck a chord with viewers around the world, and to be honest, I can’t help but wonder why.

While The Great Hack is indeed a wonderful documentary, filled with drama, thrill and insights, its key message should be examined more closely. The same way we shouldn’t shrug and accept how Facebook or other companies make use of our data, we shouldn’t just take the movie’s narrative as is, and here’s why.      

There is no great hack.

Throughout the film and during the entire Cambridge Analytica fiasco, we were told that something major has happened. A game changer, a low point. But is that, in fact, true?

When we break it down into pieces, what did Cambridge Analytica do that isn’t done by many other companies out there on a daily basis? Data usage, micro-targeting and personalized content have become the standard for tech companies, mainly in the Adtech field. Why are we so shocked to hear the details of this particular case?

The not-so-great truth is that there is no great hack. There are countless little, subtle, almost invisible hacks that happen all around us, all the time. Wherever we go, we leave little bits of personal information that are collected and used to benefit businesses and governments.

The most realistic part of the movie is its trailer, which shows our trail of data following us around. It’s not one epic fiasco we should be worried about, but a million seemingly-tiny ones.

Cambridge Analytica is the scapegoat.

If you’re into conspiracy theories, you might even go as far as suggesting that someone wants us to think of the Cambridge Analytica scandal as epic and unique. That’s because someone really doesn't want us to understand that these sort of actions are done on a regular basis and we have completely lost control over our personal information. The actions detailed in this movie are serious, but they are far from unique.

At first glance, the narrative of the movie may seem to attack major tech companies that gather and trade users’ personal information, but it actually helps them continue to do so uninterrupted. As long as people fail to understand how common and widespread this sort of conduct really is, the less of a chance we stand to reclaim and regain what is rightfully ours.

Let’s talk about ownership

Our main concerns should not focus on data harvesting or personalization methods. It doesn’t matter how we were classified to match us with the right ads, or even how many users were offered customized content based on different psychology-backed criteria. The real issue is ownership.

David Carroll in “The Great Hack” • Netflix

In this crazy, modern world, we are no longer considered the owners of our information. This twisted standard is the root of all data-based evil and until our state of mind changes, all great and small hacks will continue to take place. David Carroll, who is at the center of the film, finds that his attempts to receive a copy of his own data collected by Cambridge Analytica face many obstacles. He was forced to file a statement in the high court in London, and even today, in the age of GDPR, chances are that those with something to hide would try their hardest to keep hiding it.

Who owns our data? Who gets to use it and how? Can it be sold to 3rd parties? How should our consent be obtained? Do we get to change our minds? How can we get an overview of the information that is out there and manage it? These are all questions that no hit documentary is currently asking, and that’s a shame. At the end of the day, getting us to stop asking questions is the great hack, and it’s not great at all.