# New Business Opportunities

The internet has given rise to a significant amount of economic activity. McKinsey & Company's research predicts that the direct and indirect economic effects of the internet account for 3.4% of the total GDP in 13 studied countries. In five mature economies, it contributes to 21% of economic growth, with 2.6 jobs created for every job eliminated. Internet companies, such as Google and Facebook, possess astronomical amounts of user data. The largest internet companies have massive user bases, with Facebook having over a billion users. These companies continuously expand their services, allowing users to utilize online searches, send emails, display videos, and engage in shopping, among other activities. Many of these services are offered for free, and their business models rely on collecting user information for marketing purposes, making user data economically valuable.

Social networking sites, popular with millions of users, have raised concerns about privacy infringement as they collect and handle large amounts of personal information. Some of these concerns are related to a lack of understanding about media and communication. Many users may not be aware of the risks of exposing personal information, some do not set access permissions, and others consider online friends as real friends without fully understanding their connections. On Facebook, the average user typically has around 130 friends, significantly impacting individuals on a personal level.
