Very few ‘likes’

Mark Zuckerberg faces the wrath of users outraged he isn’t doing more to defend their data.

SAN FRANCISCO: Mark Zuckerberg rose to wealth and fame with a mission of connecting everyone through Facebook, but now faces the wrath of users outraged he isn’t doing more to defend their data.

The latest crisis laying siege to the leading online social network has raised the spectre that he has lost control of his creation and been naive about the unintended consequences of people sharing so much about themselves.

“If Facebook was a typical company, and Zuckerberg was the founder, he would probably be gone,” said tech industry analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group.

“He looks like a guy who really doesn’t know what he is doing. He

is not the hero a lot of people had viewed him as.

“His reputation and image are badly damaged.”

Facebook has prospered on digital advertising that benefits from being able to use what people share about themselves to target ads.

If Facebook was betting on people’s better natures when it came to truthfully sharing, respecting others, and being able to connect with anyone, it wasn’t always a winning wager.

The Californiabased social network has been a flashpoint for controversies about bullying, harassment, free speech, extremist propaganda, election meddling, privacy, and more.

“They don’t put enough effort into making sure the user is protected and the experience is assured,” Enderle said.

“They only care about the advertisers, and the user is basically a digital slave.” A public apology by Zuckerberg failed to quell outrage over the hijacking of personal data from millions of people, as critics demanded that the social media giant go much further to protect user privacy.

Belatedly speaking out about the harvesting of Facebook user data by a British firm linked to President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign, Zuckerberg admitted on Wednesday to betraying the trust of its more than two billion users.

Vowing to stop data leaking to application makers and to give users more control over their information, he also said he was ready to testify before US lawmakers following – which a congressional committee promptly asked him to do.

They only care about the advertisers and the user is basically y a digital slave. Rob Enderle