Zuckerberg pledges to fix ‘breach of trust’
But Facebook CEO doesn’t apologize for pilfered data
SAN FRANCISCO – Facing growing criticism of his leadership, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg finally broke his silence on the escalating crisis over how the social media giant handles people’s private information.
Zuckerberg took responsibility for what he called “a breach of trust between Facebook and the people who share their data with us and expect us to protect it. We need to fix that,” he said.
The Facebook cofounder outlined a three-point plan: investigate all third-party apps with access to large amounts of information, further restrict third-party access to prevent future abuses and make sure users understand which apps they’ve given access to their information. “I’m serious about doing what it takes to protect our community,” he said in a Facebook post.
He stopped short of apologizing and didn’t answer some of the questions raised in the four days since the news broke that Cambridge Analytica pilfered sensitive information from tens of millions of Facebook users. He didn’t answer why Facebook didn’t reveal the breach when it first learned about it in 2015. The reaction on Facebook was mixed.
“As a long-time user of your platform I’m simply concerned that this is too little, too late,” one user wrote in the comments on Zuckerberg’s post. “The data collected from your users
never should have happened in the first place. Your company — and industry — clearly cannot police itself,” wrote another.
“Facebook faces the greatest danger confronting the firm, and Zuckerberg’s response is one of the single-worst responses in the history of modern-day crisis management,” said Eric Schiffer, CEO and Chairman of Reputation Management Consultants. “He gave no apology and showed no empathy after allowing users data to be pillaged. The threat to Facebook was not helped today by its leader.”
Silence by Facebook’s two top executives — Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg — fanned the flames of the controversy for days as U.S. and European lawmakers demanded answers and Facebook shares tumbled.
Daniel Ives, head of technology research at GBH Insights, welcomed Zuckerberg breaking his silence. “With shares down 10% plus since the Cambridge news came to light, we are glad to hear Zuckerberg finally address this issue,” he said in a research note.
Zuckerberg’s remarks were his first since reports from The New York Times and The Guardian/The Observer alleged British data analysis firm Cambridge Analytica improperly obtained and retained the personal information of 50 million Facebook users without their permission — 30 million of them with enough details to match users to other records and build profiles of them. Cambridge Analytica has ties to President Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Facebook disclosed late Friday it knew Cambridge Analytica had taken users’ information without their consent by obtaining it from a psychology researcher who legitimately gleaned details on users’ likes and habits via a personality quiz app in 2013.
The growing scandal has given Facebook users an inside look into what happens to their data in the hands of outside parties and what, if anything, Facebook does about it. Facebook admits it knew Cambridge Analytica had obtained user information without its consent, but it didn’t verify the firm had deleted it — and it didn’t notify users. Zuckerberg repeated the company’s earlier comments that it had obtained certifications the firm had destroyed the data. But it engaged forensic auditors to make sure that was the case after The New York Times report.
U.S. lawmakers have called on Zuckerberg to testify before Congress. Facebook met with lawmakers Tuesday and planned to meet again Wednesday to discuss the case. Cambridge Analytica, which said all data obtained through Facebook was done “legally and fairly,” revealed Tuesday it suspended CEO Alexander Nix pending a full investigation.