Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress on Tuesday, appearing in Washington, D.C., to answer questions from members of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees over Facebook’s reported misuse of user information.
The 34-year-old co-founder of the social media networking site apologized for Facebook reportedly sharing the information of 87 million users with the political research group Cambridge Analytica, a revelation first reported by The Observer and The New York Times. Cambridge Analytica worked for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
The Judiciary Committee Chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley, discussed how Facebook makes money by selling personalized advertisements using the data they collect from users. In his opening statement, Grassley noted that many users may not fully understand this or appreciate how their data is used, or, in the case of Cambridge Analytica, how it was misused. Grassley said that as users allow social media companies to collect more data to use their services, the potential for abuse becomes more significant.
In his testimony, Zuckerberg outlined plans for Facebook moving forward, specifying how the platform will combat misuse, as well as strengthen user security.
“Across the board, we have a responsibility to not just build tools,” Zuckerberg explained, “but to make sure those tools are used for good.”
Continued the father of two, “We didn’t take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. 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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