Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress today at a marathon five-hour session on the current data privacy scandal at Cambridge Analytica. In addition to discussing that situation, and how the data mining company misused its information, the conversation also addressed the role and responsibility of Facebook in the world as a source of news and a tool of great influence for democracy and democracy. the communication. .
Although there were few explosive revelations, Zuckerberg responded to a broad and diverse set of questions ranging from whether Facebook is a monopoly on whether the company would ever consider a paid version without advertising. As part of his appearance on Capitol Hill today, Zuckerberg brought a thick notebook to help him answer questions, stay on his talking points, and present quick and relatively harmless answers to hot topics. Fortunately, as there were photojournalists in the room, we have access to at least two pages of those notes.
It's a couple of very revealing documents, which give us an idea of how Zuckerberg and the sophisticated executive and crisis public relations team that orbits him are thinking about the main problems facing Facebook today. Some interesting highlights here:
For those who wish to read the notes in their entirety, here is the complete transcript:
Cambridge Analytica
– Breach of trust; sorry, we let it go; took action in 2014 to prevent it from happening again.
– Test application designed by researcher at the University of Cambridge named Aleksandr Kogan.
– The people who used the app gave Kogan FB information as a public profile, I like the page, friends list + birthdays; the same for friends whose configuration allows sharing; NO credit card / SSN information.
– Kogan sold to CA in violation of our terms; when we found out, we told them to erase the data.
– Confirmed they had – now it seems fake. I should have done more to audit + tell people.
– I did not think enough about the abuse; rethinking every part of our relationship with people.
Compensation
– Important problem but without credit card information or SSN shared.
– People gave Kogan access to Facebook information such as their public profile, I like the page, friends list, birthday; the same for friends whose configuration allows sharing.
– the 2014 changes mean that it could not happen now; Restricted access of the applications to the data even more.
Reverse search (scraping)
– Discovered about the abuse two weeks ago, close it.
– It is useful to find someone by phone number / email; if people have the same name.
– The malicious actors linked public information (name, profile picture, sex, user ID) with the phone numbers they already had; turn it off. We need to do more to avoid abuse.
Responsibility
– Fire people for CA ?: This is how we design the platform. That was my responsibility. I'm not going to throw people under the bus.
– Did you ever fire someone?: Yes; hold people accountable all the time; I will not go into details.
– Resign ?: Facebook founded. My decisions I made mistakes. Great challenge, but we have solved problems before, we will solve this. He is already taking action.
– Is there no responsibility for MZ ?: Responsible for you, for employees, for people who use FB.
Data security:
– I use FB every day, my family also invests heavily in security.
– He made mistakes and worked hard to solve them.
– Give people more controls, just yesterday he declared showing people their application controls.
Business model (ads)
– You want FB to be a service that everyone can use, it has to be free, you can only do it with ads.
– Key to me is mission: helping people connect The business model supports that mission.
– Let's be clear: Facebook does not sell data. You own your information. We give you the controls.
– People know […] need publicity; Tell us if you have to see ads, you want them to be relevant.
[…] / welfare
– Facebook […] did not pass the time; the past time dropped 5% Q4; pivot to MSI.
– […] ssesm [..] to communicate with children; MK gives control to parents.
– […] as N […] have commercial advertisements. We do not have plans to do it.
Defend Facebook
– [If attacked: Respectfully, I reject that. Not who we are.]
– Billions of people around the world use FB every day to connect with the people who matter.
– Families reconnected, people met and got married, movements were organized, tens of millions of SMB now have better tools to grow and create jobs.
– More work to be done, but you can not lose sight of the ways in which people use FB forever.
Tim Cook in the business model
– Bezos: "Companies that work hard to charge more and companies that work hard to charge less."
– At FB, we strive to charge you less. In fact, we are free.
– [AccordingtothemostimportantdataWhenyouinstallanapplicationyoucanaccessitwiththesameinformationaswhenyoustartedwithFB
– Many stories about applications that misuse Apple data, Apple has never been seen to notify people.
– It's important that you keep everyone at the same level.]
Disturbing content
– It's very disturbing; and unfortunately we see bad things on Facebook.
– It should not take place in our service; the rules of the community prohibit hatred, intimidation, terror.
– Work to be more proactive; AI, hiring more people, p. terror, p. suicide.
– It will never be perfect; but making big investments.
Electoral Integrity (Russia)
– Too slow, move forward. France, Germany, Alabama.
– Intermediate periods are important, but not only in the United States: Brazil, Mexico, Hungary.
– Just announced a committee of academics to commission independent research on social networks about democracy.
Diversity
– Silicon Valley has a problem, and Facebook is part of the problem.
– Personally they worry about progressing; Long way to go [3% African American, 5% Hispanics].
Competition
– Consumer choice: consumers have many options on how they spend their time
– Small part of the advertising market: advertisers also have options – market of $ 650 billion, we have 6% .
– Break FB ?: American technology companies are a key asset for the United States; the break strengthens Chinese companies.
GDPR (Do not say we already do what GDPR requires)
– People deserve good tools and privacy controls wherever they live.
– We build everything to be transparent and give people control. GDPR does some things:
: it provides control over the use of data, which we have done for some years.
– Requires consent, done a little, now doing more in Europe and around the world. [19659070] – Obtain special consent for sensitive things, for example facial recognition.
– Support privacy legislation that is practical, puts people in control and allows innovation.