Zuckerberg breaks silence as Facebook privacy crisis grows
Facebook is to further restrict developers’ access to user data in response to the growing scandal around Cambridge Analytica’s misuse of the company’s information, the social media site’s founder Mark Zuckerberg announced this morning.
“This was a breach of trust between Kogan, Cambridge Analytica and Facebook,” declared Zuckerberg in a post on his site.
Zuckerberg: ‘A breach of trust between Kogan, Cambridge Analytica and Facebook’
Zuckerberg’s announcement comes after days of mounting pressure to respond to the privacy crisis, and follows the news that Cambridge Analytica and its former developers were suspended from Facebook’s service.
The revelations included that the data science company’s misused social media data during recent UK and US election campaigns.
In his announcement, Zuckerberg was at pains to assure Facebook users that their data would be safe, promising to make privacy and app management tools more prominent on the company’s website and mobile applications.
Developers who were accessing data before Facebook’s terms of use were tightened in 2014 will be facing an audit by the company, with Zuckerberg warning those who refuse Facebook’s demands will be banned from the service, as will any developer found to have abused the information they gathered.
“Protecting people’s information is the most important thing we do at Facebook. What happened with Cambridge Analytica was a major violation of trust, and we are taking this issue incredibly seriously,” a Facebook spokesperson told Mumbrella.
“Mark has announced some important steps for the future of our platform, which involve taking action on potential past abuse and putting stronger protections in place to prevent future abuse. We will set a higher standard for how developers build on Facebook, what people should expect from them, and, most importantly, from us.
“There’s more work to do, and we’ll be sharing details in the coming weeks about additional steps we’re taking to put people more in control of their data.”
Zuckerberg concluded his statement with further reassurances to users that Facebook respected their data, saying: “I started Facebook, and at the end of the day I’m responsible for what happens on our platform.
“I’m serious about doing what it takes to protect our community. While this specific issue involving Cambridge Analytica should no longer happen with new apps today, that doesn’t change what happened in the past. We will learn from this experience to secure our platform further and make our community safer for everyone going forward.”
Trust is such a rare commodity and one that our industry consistently dismisses in pursuit of achieving optimal communications performance metrics (whatever that’s worth). When platforms or publishers break that trust then boardrooms quite rightly get nervous. Ask yourself, would you want your brand seen on Facebook right now or would you entrust it with a traditional premium publisher?
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At what point do Australian brands, either led by a brave CMO or pushed by the CEO or Board of Directors, withdraw their advertising spend to send Facebook – and more importantly their customers – a clear message that such a breach of trust is not consistent with their company’s values.
When the ad dollars starts to walk out the door, they’ll really start listening.
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The only thing I’ve been surprised out of all this, is people’s surprise itself.
I don’t see what they’ve done as any different to what literally every other company in the world does. In fact, I think some data companies sell far more intrusive and sensitive data than what an individual shares on Facebook. Looking at you credit card companies.
I agree this should be discussed in the public domain but rather than based on legality this should be a conversation on ethical use of data.
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Mark has been assuring us our data is safe since the start of the website.
Not sure I trust him.
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I think you are giving people too much credit. The everyday Australian has no idea how their data is being commercialised.
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@ I Do Say…
Sure, but what about that van with the satellite dish parked out the front of your house?
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Advertisers and all their agencies have been targeting and leading people to their preferred outcomes this entire time, which is why the advanced capabilities Facebook provided was so attractive. Cambridge Analytica used these capabilities in a particularly insidious way but let’s not all pretend we are unmarked innocents. When we package McDonalds and Coke to kids are we complicit in their obesity? When we target consumers for Nespresso pods are we complicit in the excess plastic and waste they create? “Consumer choice” has been a thin illusion we have all been carrying to try and absolve us. Unless you work for a social good brand, I wouldn’t be throwing any stones.
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