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Facebook explains what advertisers know about you
Facebook is still facing heat over its privacy controls in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and it's trying to reassure users that their personal info isn't on the open market. The social network has posted a detailed Q&A explaining just what advertisers know about you -- and importantly, what they don't. It stressed that it doesn't personally identify you, and that it's only selling "space" for ads in the same way a TV network might, not the data itself. Marketers get the generic demographics for their ads, the pages you like, the articles you visit and information they already had from elsewhere (such as existing purchases or a third-party app).
FTC-mandated audit cleared Facebook's privacy policies in 2017
When Facebook struck a deal with the Federal Trade Commission in 2011 following an investigation into its privacy practices, it was required to undergo an external audit every two years. That's why it was a mystery how the fact that Cambridge Analytica harvested millions of users' information remained hidden until recently. Turns out it was because the latest audit conducted in 2017 failed to detect that something was going on behind the scenes. The Electronic Privacy Information Center found a (heavily redacted) copy of the audit after submitting a Freedom of Information Act request. It reads:
Senator pushes for stronger FTC oversight of Facebook
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to FTC Acting Chairwoman Maureen Ohlhausen today, encouraging the commission to consider evidence that Facebook may have violated a 2011 consent decree and to pursue regulations that will protect consumers. The requests come as Facebook continues to face scrutiny over the privacy policies that led to Cambridge Analytica obtaining information on 87 million Facebook users. "Recent revelations about the illegitimate harvesting of personal data on tens of millions of Americans have shed new light on the systemic failure of Facebook to address privacy risks and keep its promises to users," Blumenthal wrote. "Despite Mark Zuckerberg's recent apology tour, Facebook's history of negligence demonstrates that the company can no longer be trusted to self-regulate."
Cambridge Analytica was looking to jump on the crypto bandwagon, too
Before news broke that it had improperly obtained millions of Facebook users' data and undercover videos showed executives listing entrapment among the nefarious ways it could halt political opponents, Cambridge Analytica was reportedly working on a digital currency. And, interestingly, the cryptocurrency was apparently going to be marketed as a way to fund a system through which users could store and sell their online data. Sources told Reuters that the data firm had consulted a company on how to structure an initial coin offering (ICO).
Cambridge Analytica may have used other quizzes to gather Facebook data
Brittany Kaiser, a former Cambridge Analytica employee, testified today in front of a UK committee that's investigating the misuse of Facebook users' personal data. Kaiser claimed in her spoken and written testimony that Cambridge Analytica used other quizzes, such as the "'sex compass' quiz," to gather users' data.
You don't need a Facebook account to use Bumble
You don't need a Facebook account to sign up for Bumble anymore. Starting tomorrow, you can use your phone number to register for a new account on the dating app, according to Wired. Like Tinder, Hinge and countless other apps and services, Bumble streamlined the process of setting up a profile and adding photos by offering Facebook as a login option. Last week Tinder users had trouble logging in due to a glitch with Facebook privacy settings.
Mark Zuckerberg got grilled by Congress. Was it worth it?
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Zuckerberg gave testimony to Congress in response to his company's role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Russian election interference and his website's utter nightmare of data privacy. He impressed people by wearing his absolute nicest human suit.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg owes lawmakers answers to these questions
By JP Mangalindan and Aarthi Swaminathan For Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, this week was a trial by fire. Over the course of two days (April 10-11), senators on the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees, as well as representatives from the US House Energy and Commerce Committees, grilled Facebook's 33-year-old CEO on a number of matters, including the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal, the company's role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and its position on government regulation regarding user privacy. And while Zuckerberg's testimony was widely viewed as a successful defense of the company he started in 2004 -- Facebook's stock was up 4.5% at market close the first day of hearings — there were many questions Zuckerberg left unanswered. Here's a breakdown of the questions he could not address.
Facebook users aren’t changing their privacy settings, despite uproar
Since the Cambridge Analytica fallout, there have been demands for change, hearings and even a #DeleteFacebook campaign. But it turns out all of that hasn't really translated into any meaningful shift in Facebook users' behavior. The Wall Street Journal reports that over the past few weeks, Facebook users, for the most part, haven't changed their privacy settings despite the uproar against Facebook. "We have not seen wild changes in behavior with people saying I'm not going to share any data with Facebook anymore," Carolyn Everson, Facebook VP of global marketing solutions, said to the Wall Street Journal CEO Council this week.
A look at the ad-targeting tools AggregateIQ left exposed online
Throughout discussions about Cambridge Analytica, parent company Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL) and how they came to obtain information on some 87 million Facebook users, you've probably also heard the name AggregateIQ. The Canada-based data firm has now been connected to Cambridge Analytica operations as well as US election campaigns and the Brexit referendum. Now, cybersecurity firm UpGuard has discovered a large code repository that AggregateIQ left exposed online, and through that we're getting a better look at the company, what it does and how it does it.
Tougher regulation of Facebook is inevitable
Two long days of congressional hearings have come to an end for Mark Zuckerberg. But the embattled Facebook CEO seems to have left members of Congress with more questions than answers about his company's handling of user data, leading a number of them (Democrats and Republicans) to float the idea of tougher regulations. Although more oversight means the government could keep a closer eye on how Facebook operates, there's concern in the tech industry (and among free-market Republicans) that it could stifle innovation. That's because only companies with deep pockets are likely to have the necessary resources to comply: While Facebook has the means to hire 15,000 people to monitor security, that may be hard for a startup to do.
The Zuckerberg hearings were a wasted opportunity
Over the past two days, members of Congress have peppered Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg with questions about how the platform manages users' privacy, what went wrong with Cambridge Analytica and what it's doing to strengthen protections going forward. These two hearings lasted more than 10 hours combined, and dozens of senators and representatives had a chance to ask questions in five- and four-minute allotments, respectively. Until this week, Congress had tried for years to get Zuckerberg to personally appear on Capitol Hill, instead of, say, dispatching another company executive. It's a shame, then, that the lawmakers ultimately squandered the time they had with him this week.
Cambridge Analytica’s acting CEO is stepping down
Embattled tech firm Cambridge Analytica announced that its acting CEO, Alexander Tayler, is stepping down to resume his post as chief data officer. The company's board suspended and began investigating its previous head exec Alexander Nix a month ago after he was caught boasting about using propaganda and blackmail on behalf of previous clients.
Facebook CEO: Europe's GDPR standards to be implemented worldwide
Mark Zuckerberg's Congressional testimony continues today as he speaks to the House Energy & Commerce Committee. During questioning, Congressman Gene Green asked the Facebook CEO about Europe's new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and inquired as to whether the requirements set by that set of regulations will be applied outside of Europe. Previously, Zuckerberg has said that the company wouldn't necessarily be extending those user protections in full elsewhere in the world, telling Reuters earlier this month that he agreed with GDPR "in spirit" but not going so far as to say that it would be adopted as a worldwide standard. "We're still nailing down details on this, but it should directionally be, in spirit, the whole thing," he said at the time. Today, however, Zuckerberg changed his tune a little saying GDPR would be the standard going forward.
Cambridge Analytica accessed Mark Zuckerberg's data, too
Mark Zuckerberg had his data accessed by Cambridge Analytica, too. In today's Congressional hearings, the Facebook CEO admitted that even his personal information wasn't safe. As part of a rapid-fire four-minute question and answer session, congresswoman Anna Eshoo from California asked Zuckerberg, simply, if his personal data was sold to malicious third parties along with that of 87 million other Facebook account holders. "Yes," he answered. See, tech CEOs are just like us.
House committee presses Zuckerberg over privacy policy ‘minefield'
The second round of congressional hearings for Mark Zuckerberg is happening now, as he testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Facebook's co-founder and CEO was questioned for over five hours on Tuesday by the Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committees, with senators urging him to avoid a "nightmare" for users on his site. That, of course, after Facebook failed to protect personal data of up to 87 million users from being misused by political research firm Cambridge Analytica. Zuckerberg's opening statement today echoed what he said during the first hearing: "It was my mistake, and I'm sorry. I started this company and I'm responsible for what happens here."
Watch Mark Zuckerberg's second day of congressional testimony at 10AM ET
After Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spent several hours answering questions from dozens of senators yesterday, he'll face the House Energy and Commerce Committee this morning. Zuckerberg is scheduled to testify at 10AM ET and you can watch the proceedings live via the committee's website right here. As was the case yesterday, Bloomberg's TicToc will be livestreaming the hearing on Twitter and several other outlets will have YouTube and Facebook feeds. We've embedded the YouTube broadcast from PBS News Hour down below for easy access.
Facebook didn't report initial Cambridge Analytica data use to FTC
During his first hearing in Washington, DC this week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted that the company didn't alert the FTC to the initial Cambridge Analytica leak in 2015. When answering questions from several senators during his testimony, Zuckerberg explained that after Facebook first learned that Cambridge Analytica was in possession of user data from the "Thisisyourdigitallife" app, it "considered it a closed case" when the data company said it had deleted any unauthorized info. The CEO admitted that it was a mistake to take Cambridge Analytica's word for it, but that the company didn't feel that any further action was required.
Senate plans hearing on Cambridge Analytica's misuse of Facebook data
It's not just Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg facing close scrutiny from Congress over the Cambridge Analytica data sharing scandal. Senator John Thune has stated that the Senate Commerce Committee plans to hold a hearing on Cambridge Analytica and "similar firms" that might have obtained Facebook data without permission. There are "plenty of questions" about what Cambridge Analytica did, Senator Thune said.
Zuckerberg says a 'version' of Facebook will always be free
Mark Zuckerberg is testifying today before the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, answering questions from 44 Senators about Facebook's data managing practices, the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the use of its platform by foreign groups attempting to influence US elections. During his questioning today, Senator Orrin Hatch harkened back to Zuckerberg's first visit to Capitol Hill in 2010 where he said that Facebook would always be free. Zuckerberg then responded that a version of Facebook would always be free, leaving open the interpretation that the platform could one day charge a fee.
