Mr. Zuckerberg Goes to Washington

The 33-year old billionaire said mea culpa to members of the US House and Senate in mid-April, answering questions about Facebook and its privacy policies and whether or not it is safe for people to be on the mammoth site.

By the Numbers

Zuckerberg, the co-Founder and CEO of Facebook, faced off against Democrats and Republicans alike.

• 2 Days
• 10 Hours of Testimony
• 600 Questions From Nearly 100 Lawmakers

It was a public grilling for a relatively young man who ditched his standard hoodie and jeans for a suit and tie to head to Capitol Hill. He was hauled before the committees following revelations that a political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica meddled with the US election process, using Facebook’s social network to access private data from 87 million Facebook users. The lawmaker’s questions boiled down to a few main points:

• Did the company do enough to keep Cambridge Analytica from harvesting FB user data
• Does it intentionally censor conservative content
• How much did Russians meddle with US elections

There were many questions Mr. Zuckerberg could not answer, saying 20 times that his team would get back with Congress on various issues that had been raised during the hearings. He admitted up front that his company had failed to protect privacy, and tried to outline the work Facebook employees were doing to avoid something like this happening in the future. He said several steps had already been taken:

• FB cut off advertisers’ access to info from 3rd party data brokers.
• FB outlined ways for people to download and review the data the company has on them already.

Speaking of that, a CNN Money reporter went through the steps to find out what information Facebook had on her. You can use these steps to find out what Facebook knows about you, too.

There were some decidedly tense moments in the 10 hours of hearings, including when Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), asked Zuckerberg if he would feel comfortable sharing with the group the name of the hotel he stayed in Monday night, or whether he’d be willing to share the names of people he has messaged this week.

“No, I would probably not choose to do that publicly here,” Zuckerberg said. Sen. Durbin replied “I think that may be what this is all about. Your right to privacy. The limits of your right to privacy, and how much you give away in modern America in the name of  “connecting people around the world.”

Mr. Zuckerberg was not averse to new regulation on this rapidly changing media platform. Many lawmakers are ready to urge calls for regulation of these internet giants, saying there is enough data and concern to change the way technology companies should handle your private data.

They may end up looking to Europe for guidance. Lawmakers in the EU are already cracking down on Facebook, which has forced the company to stop using facial recognition technology and cut back on some of its internet-tracking practices.

In a tense exchange, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) repeatedly asked Zuckerberg why Facebook had failed to explain its privacy data collection practices in “clear and pedestrian language.”  The House panel’s chairman, Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) called Facebook an “American success story,” but added “While Facebook has certainly grown, I worry it has not matured. I think it is time to ask whether Facebook may have moved too fast and broken too many things.”

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) summed up the feelings of many of both committees. “Mr. Zuckerberg, you’ve said you’re sorry. I appreciate the apologies. But please stop apologizing and make the change.”

Facebook users have had their sense of security taken away following news of Cambridge Analytica. So far, lawmakers are not convinced there is enough insurance in Facebook’s moves to protect users’ private data. In our complicated world, there is need for security and privacy. At Partner’s Direct Insurance, we take your security very seriously and want to make sure you are protected with the right insurance: everything from homeowners to renters to life, umbrella and marine insurance. We know how to keep you safe, so contact us in order to partner with you!