Zuckerberg hearing : Facebook CEO says firm is in 'arms race' with Russia and is working with Mueller election probe - as it happened
Data abuse scandal threatens to harm the social network forever
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Your support makes all the difference.Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced more than five hours of questions from the joint Senate Commerce and Judiciary committees over the privacy and the use of citizen's data..
The long-awaited showdown – one of the first times that Mr Zuckerberg has spoken publicly since a data scandal hit – saw nearly half the US Senate, 44 legislators, interrogate Mr about an issue that threatens to permanently damage the site he co-founded.
Mr Zuckerberg agreed to testify in Congress after revelations that Cambridge Analytica, a data-mining firm affiliated with Donald Trump's presidential campaign, was sold access to personal information from 87 million Facebook users. Cambridge Analytica denies any laws were broken
In his testimony, Mr Zuckerberg disclosed that his company is “working with” special counsel Robert Mueller in the federal probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign — and working hard to change its own policies.
“We didn't take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake," he said. "It was my mistake, and I'm sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I'm responsible for what happens here.”
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Mr Zuckerberg apologised for his company's errors in failing to better protect the personal information of its millions of users, a controversy that has brought a flood of bad publicity and sent the company's stock value plunging. However, as he answered questions, Facebook shares surged and closed up 4.5 per cent for the day, the biggest gain in two years.
Mr Zuckerberg said it had been “clearly a mistake” to believe the data-mining company Cambridge Analytica had deleted user data that it had - although Analytica said on Tuesday that it had deleted all the data. Mr Zuckerberg said Facebook had considered the data collection “a closed case” because it thought the information had been discarded and therefor that is why it did not inform users when it became aware of the data use in 2015.
The Facebook founder said the company is going through “a broader philosophical shift in how we approach our responsibility.” He said the company needs to take a “more proactive role” that includes ensuring the tools it creates are used in “good and healthy” ways.
He denied that Facebook, which has more than two billion monthly users across the world, was a monopoly. “It certainly doesn't feel that way to me,” Mr Zuckerberg said.
The billionaire appeared mostly comfortable with the questioning, with some senators struggling with some aspects of the technology. Although Mr Zuckerberg was at points to point out repeatedly that Facebook "does not sell" advertising and that users "have full control" over the data they provide.
Asked about the prospect of regulation, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mr Zuckerberg said that his company would back "the right regulation".
Mr Graham asked whether the company "would work" with Congress to craft that regulation, to which Mr Zuckerberg replied: “Absolutely.”
Agencies contributed to this report
Earlier, Mr Zuckerberg said that his company is in a constant battle with Russian operators seeking to exploit the social network.
"This is an arms race. They're going to keep getting better," he said.
Earlier, Senator Richard Blumenthal was one of those senators to try and get to the centre of this issue, with this exchange.
Mr Blumenthal: "Your business model is to monetise user information to maximise profit over privacy.
"And unless there are specific rules and requirements enforced by an outside agency I have no assurance that these kinds of vague commitments are going to produce action.”
The Connecticut Democrat says companies ought to be required to provide users with clear and plain information about how their data will be used.
"Senator, I do generally agree with what you're saying," says Zuckerberg.
"Would you agree to an opt-in, as opposed to an opt-out?"
Mr Zuckerberg responds: "Senator, I think that that certainly makes sense to discuss and I think the details around this matter a lot."
There's been a fair amount of reaction to Mr Zuckerberg's comments that Facebook is not a monopoly.
There is one line that Mr Zuckerberg has repeatedly returned to, seemingly the major point he is trying to hammer home.
That users have control over what they share, and who sees it.
Senator Deb Fischer: How many categories of data do you collect for all 2bn users?
Mr Zuckerberg says he doesn't understand what she is asking, so he goes off on his own monologue.
Mr Zuckerberg: "There are two broad categories... content that a person has chosen to share and that they have complete control over... The other category is data that is connected to making ads relevant..."
"You have complete control over both."
Ms Fischer asks: "How much of it do you store? Everything that we click on? Is that stored somewhere?"
The answer: "Yes, we do store data."
Mr Zuckerberg once again reiterates how he started Facebook from his dorm room. Perhaps trying to disassociate his company from the all-encompassing, out-of-control corporate juggernaut that this hearing suggests it has become.
Senator Ben Sasse asks Mr Zuckerberg to define hate speech, as he says he is "worried" about one company being able to decide what constitutes free speech. He raises the issue of abortion, and says views on one side may be unsettling to those on the other side of the debate.
Senator Chris Coons had started the conversation about inappropriate content. he asked: “Why do you shift the burden to users to flag inappropriate content and get it taken down?”
That is when Mr Zuckerberg returned to the idea of the dorm room start, with few resources. The billions of dollars in ad revenue since then, make that point moot.
Democrat Edward Markey, again raises the issue of consent - around his bill that people should have to 'opt-in', and give explicit permission, to sharing data.
He is asking Mr Zuckerberg whether he supports such legislation. Mr Zuckerberg says "yes... in principle".
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