Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook appeared before the U.S., Congress to testify regarding the recent data breach. The CEO was made to answer a number of questions ranging from Russia’s involvement in the breach and Cambridge Analytica.
The five hour long testimony on Tuesday, saw Zuckerberg apologizing for the scandal in which 87 million people’s data was collected illegally. The social media CEO was asked about the Russian groups who used Facebook data to rig the 2016 U.S., elections. To this Zuckerberg said, his company appointed a special counsel to investigate the alleged meddling.
Zuckerberg was quoted saying, “We didn’t take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. And it was my mistake, and I’m sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I’m responsible for what happens here.”
Senator Dick Durbin pointed out the importance of privacy by asking Zuckerberg a few questions. Durbin questioned, “Would you be comfortable sharing with us the name of the hotel you stayed in last night?” Zuckerberg hesitated for a second and responded with a no.
Durbin went on to ask a similar question, “If you messaged anybody this week, would you share with us the names of the people you’ve messaged?” Zuckerberg was flustered and said he would not give out that information publicly.
This gave Senator Durbin the opportunity to point out, “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.'”
During the joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, several Congress members voiced concern. They stated Facebook’s actions were not up to the mark and lacked proper action.
The hearing led to a number of new rules on data protection which could limit the social media company from making money.
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