Zuckerberg: Facebook ‘made mistakes, must protect user data
Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that his company “made mistakes” in protecting user data obtained by Cambridge Analytica, but said steps already taken and new policies unveiled Wednesday would prevent developers from misappropriating such information in the future.
Part regret, part explanation and part announcement of strategies to come, Zuckerberg’s first comments since the Cambridge Analytica scandal erupted sought to reinforce Facebook’s reputation as a trustworthy social platform despite the unauthorized collection of the personal data of about 50 million users by a data analytics firm with ties to President Donald Trump’s campaign.
“I started Facebook, and at the end of the day I’m responsible for what happens on our platform,” he said in the statement. “We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can’t then we don’t deserve to serve you.”
Zuckerberg later apologized for the sharing of the data during an interview on CNN on Wednesday evening.
“This was a major breach of trust, and I’m really sorry that this happened,” he said.
In a post on his Facebook page, Zuckerberg said the social media giant had already made efforts in 2014 to “dramatically” limit developers’ access to data in an attempt to prevent “abusive apps.” Those steps, which prevent apps from asking for data about a user’s friends without authorization, would prevent future groups similar to Cambridge Analytica from amassing so much information without users’ knowledge, he said.
Zuckerberg also said the company would investigate all apps that had access to “large amounts of information” prior to the changes made in 2014 and that Facebook would conduct a full audit of any app with “suspicious activity.”
Developers that do not agree to a thorough audit will be banned, as well as developers that misuse personally identifiable information, he said. Affected users, including those whose data were allegedly misused in the Cambridge Analytica incident, will be notified by Facebook, Zuckerberg said.