Slashdot Mirror


Mark Zuckerberg Addresses the Cambridge Analytica Scandal, Says Facebook 'Made Mistakes' in Protecting Data (buzzfeed.com)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday commented on the massive, deepening data harvesting scandal his company has been embroiled in since last Friday. From a report: "We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can't then we don't deserve to serve you. I've been working to understand exactly what happened and how to make sure this doesn't happen again," he said. The scandal -- involving the illicit collection of data from 50 million Facebook users, and its later use by Trump campaign analytics vendor Cambridge Analytica -- has helped chop off nearly $50 billion in value from Facebook's market cap since last Friday, led to calls from US lawmakers for Zuckerberg testify before congress, and raised eyebrows at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which is now probing the company. Speaking of things Facebook plans to do to ensure that this mess doesn't repeat itself, Zuckerberg added, "First, we will investigate all apps that had access to large amounts of information before we changed our platform to dramatically reduce data access in 2014, and we will conduct a full audit of any app with suspicious activity. We will ban any developer from our platform that does not agree to a thorough audit. And if we find developers that misused personally identifiable information, we will ban them and tell everyone affected by those apps. That includes people whose data Kogan misused here as well.

"Second, we will restrict developers' data access even further to prevent other kinds of abuse. For example, we will remove developers' access to your data if you haven't used their app in 3 months. We will reduce the data you give an app when you sign in -- to only your name, profile photo, and email address. We'll require developers to not only get approval but also sign a contract in order to ask anyone for access to their posts or other private data. And we'll have more changes to share in the next few days."

There is no explicit apology in Zuckerberg's comment today.

28 of 127 comments (clear)

  1. Sorry I got caught defense by OffTheLip · · Score: 5, Informative

    Facebook's business model is predicated on this data collection and selling to whomever is willing to pay.

    1. Re:Sorry I got caught defense by HornWumpus · · Score: 2, Informative

      Obama paid them with a private phone number/direct access for eight years.

      This time they're pissed because they think they were cheated, only got money.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    2. Re:Sorry I got caught defense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5520303/Obama-campaign-director-reveals-Facebook-ALLOWED-data.html

    3. Re:Sorry I got caught defense by amicusNYCL · · Score: 4, Insightful

      In other news, Hitler said he "made mistakes" in protecting Jews.

      That Godwin was too easy.

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    4. Re:Sorry I got caught defense by Pseudonym · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Of course it is. Cambridge Analytics bought the data from third party apps though, not Facebook, thus undercutting Facebook's business model. This is why Facebook is cracking down.

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
    5. Re:Sorry I got caught defense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      https://nypost.com/2018/03/20/obamas-former-media-director-said-facebook-was-once-on-our-side/

    6. Re:Sorry I got caught defense by rogoshen1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Jesus fucking Christ. This 100%. Not even getting into the 'Trump did this, Obama did that bullshit'..

      These clowns have been hoovering as much fucking data as possible about everyone, going so far as building shadow profiles for non-members. Why else would they do this, other than to sell it?

      Zuck, no one fucking believes you, I hope you, and your your company goes the way of Myspace.

    7. Re:Sorry I got caught defense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      COO of Facebook.

      Wikileaked email

    8. Re: Sorry I got caught defense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      That's a financial blog closely connected to Breitbart and a few other "alt-right" sites. In other words, information value = -1.

    9. Re:Sorry I got caught defense by ArchieBunker · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The Daily Mail is not a reputable source.

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
    10. Re:Sorry I got caught defense by sexconker · · Score: 2

      The best part is the media is now trying to discredit all of it by pumping out "news" and late night monologues that lambaste the conspiracy as fake, baseless, etc., Q as a nutjob or possibly some dangerous individual, and the people following the whole mess as stupid, gullible losers.

      Expect to see a lot about Q and this conspiracy in the media soon, as they try to laugh it off the stage.

      All they'll do is bring it to more people's attention, and get more people on the side of exposing this shit.

    11. Re:Sorry I got caught defense by sexconker · · Score: 2

      https://wikileaks.org/podesta-...

      What's next? "Primary sources are not good sources."?

    12. Re: Sorry I got caught defense by Escogido · · Score: 4, Informative

      Did you actually read the article at the link? There are plenty of links to sources there - Time, Twitter, The Guardian etc. You can't really disregard them simply because they happened to appear in an article on a website you do not like or do not consider reputable.

  2. #winning by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Facebook also dragged down the rest of the stock market Since its illegal to hire foreign nationals to run your campaign, not to mention the rest, looks like we are really in store for some serious #winning.

    1. Re:#winning by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 2

      Frankly -- about time that a lot of so-called "tech" that's really based on making users the product and advertising to them crashes and burns. Tech Bubble 2.0 will end, and only the productive companies will emerge.

  3. LOL by daveschroeder · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's so much bullshit, because it is a damage-control response to the CA issue only.

    The problem -- of which they are deeply and keenly aware -- is MUCH larger than just CA, and has existed this way, intentionally, for YEARS.

    This is a farcical non-response, though some of the measures they are now forced to take will indeed partially address the broader issues.

    1. Re:LOL by HornWumpus · · Score: 2

      I'd assume: Cambridge Analytics.

      GP define you acronyms first use.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  4. email address? by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why are outside "app" vendors being essentially handed lists of emails? Unfortunate that this will continue, even after the changes -- this is bad practice and promotes spam if nothing else.

  5. OK... by Pseudonym · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "And if we find developers that misused personally identifiable information, we will ban them and tell everyone affected by those apps."

    The official Facebook app doesn't count.

    --
    sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
    1. Re:OK... by mvdwege · · Score: 2

      Doesn't matter. WIth the entire EU bureacracy involved in rolling out GDPR, you can bet your arse that those responsible for enforcing data protection directives are casting eyes at Facebook and Cambridge Analytics already.

      It makes for such a nice test case: "Look, it is already illegal under the old rules, and under the new rules we can really put the hurt on them". And since CA is still an EU company (Brexit won't happen for another year), and Facebook does substantial business in the EU, I expect they are going to get in trouble.

      Want to place bets on how quick the Zuck will run to Daddy Trump to ask for punitive trade regulations if the EU tries to fine him?

      --
      "I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
  6. Obama, Trump by labnet · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So have I got this right.
    Obama scrapes Facebook data for two elections = okidoki
    Trump may have used Facebook data = SJW fainting scandal.

    https://www.fastcompany.com/40...

    --
    46137
    1. Re:Obama, Trump by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Obama scrapes Facebook data for two elections = okidoki
      Trump may have used Facebook data = SJW fainting scandal.

      Obama used Facebook data = Facebook is bad
      Trump used Facebook data = Facebook is bad

      Facebook = bad

    2. Re:Obama, Trump by ArchieBunker · · Score: 3, Interesting
      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
    3. Re:Obama, Trump by burtosis · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't really feel like defending Obama because I disagree with a lot of what he did but explain to me this:

      Did Obama's campaign hire foreign nationals to do the scraping?

      Did Obama's campaign break the TOS of facebook or any other data privacy laws?

      Was Obama's campaign transparent in his methods? Because Cambridge Analyitica is secretive, uses shell companies and encrypted self deleting emails, and Nix is on tape saying he happily lies, uses honey pots and the like, and misdirects - did Obama engage in hiring people who use those methods?

      Did obama's campaign use fake web logs, fake news articles, and other knowingly factually incorrect sources, in a highly targeted approach to misdirecting unsuspecting undecided voters?

      You may consider it splitting hairs, I certainly don't approve of Obama's use of invasion of privicy for his social media campaign, but this looks like a case of comparing theft of a stack of free newspapers to a bank robbery.

    4. Re:Obama, Trump by burtosis · · Score: 2

      I feel like this may be a waste of time, but, I'd like to answer your questions.

      Did Obama's campaign hire foreign nationals to do the scraping?

      If anyone at facebook was working on a H1B visa, -or- if there were any foreign offices of facebook during '12, then yes, there were foreign nationals involved with the scraping.

      I'm not a lawyer, but I think this is a difference. You cannot directly hire foreign nationals and pay them like CA. For example, AT&T may have H1B employees, but that dosent mean a robocall campaign would run afoul of campaign finance law. If obama paid foreign nationals directly, I'd like to know.

      Was Obama's campaign transparent in his methods? Because Cambridge Analyitica is secretive, uses shell companies and encrypted self deleting emails, and Nix is on tape saying he happily lies, uses honey pots and the like, and misdirects - did Obama engage in hiring people who use those methods?

      No, I'd say his campaign was downright giddy and braggadocious about invading 1 billions people privacy. As for CA's shifty dealings, I'll agree they were underhanded, but pail in comparison to the free information shoveled to the DNC about, well, basically anyone who has a facebook account, or even is close friends IRL with someone who has a facebook account.

      That to me sounds like obama was fairly open with what he was doing, though I do not agree with it due to privacy reasons myself

      Did obama's campaign use fake web logs, fake news articles, and other knowingly factually incorrect sources, in a highly targeted approach to misdirecting unsuspecting undecided voters?

      Yes.

      I realize he did targeted ads, but I can't find purposefully fake information. Could you provide an example? It's easier for me to get a perspective when I have others to see how they think so thanks.

  7. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  8. Only happening because Hillary lost by schwit1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Translated ...
    "We didn't mean for our longstanding creepy privacy destruction policies to benefit a Republican rather than a Democrat this election cycle, and we promise it won't happen again"

  9. Media company issues... by bayankaran · · Score: 2

    FB is nothing but a media company, with a news feed that resembles live TV, albeit personalized and "customisable" to an extent.

    In any publicly listed for profit media corp the tussle will be between the editorial department which wants full control on content vs marketing / sales which needs sales from selling space. FB has no editorial department, its the users for most part and algos, but marketing / sales is where FB earns its valuation and profile.

    What do marketing/sales do? Sell space on news feed, and sell user data.

    I feel FB will be profitable even if it stops selling user data. But then almighty greed.

    The only plus for current fiasco..."FB boy for POTUS" is DOA.

    --
    Tat Tvam Asi