Facebook Accountability, Reform Sought in Wake of Cambridge Analytica
Legislators and industry players urged action in response to Facebook-Cambridge Analytica reports and big data’s relationship to privacy (see 1803200047 and 1803210056). And House and Senate Commerce Committee leadership submitted formal requests Friday for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify before their respective committees (see 1803220052).
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House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., and ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., told Zuckerberg that as CEO and the leader “through all the key strategic decisions since its launch, you are the right person to testify before Congress about those decisions and the Facebook business model.” Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and ranking member Bill Nelson, D-Fla., wrote that Zuckerberg’s testimony is necessary to “gain a better understanding of how the company plans to restore lost trust, safeguard users' data, and end a troubling series of belated responses to serious problems.”
The Internet Society said Friday it's “disappointed, but not surprised” at the news of the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica allegations, calling them the “the natural outcome of today's data driven economy that puts businesses and others first, not users.” Zuckerberg's apology “is a first step, but it's not enough,” said the group, seeking higher standards for transparency and ethics in data handling, said ISOC. “Anyone who collects data must be accountable to their users and to society.” In the connected world, “everyone is affected by everybody else's actions,” and incidents like Facebook-Cambridge Analytica contribute to “an overall climate of declining trust” in the internet and “threaten its economic value,” said the group.
Facebook responded Friday: “Advertisers look to us to help grow their businesses. They know how important it is for people to trust their information with Facebook, and we are committed to regaining that trust. Most of the businesses we've spoken with this week are pleased with the steps we've outlined to better protect people’s data, and they have confidence that we'll respond to these challenges and become a better partner and company as a result.”
ISOC suggestions for companies that collect, use or share data are to (1) ensure policies about data handling reflect users’ interests first; (2) restrict and monitor any access or use of personal data and don’t collect data “if you can’t manage it”; (3) be transparent in how personal data is shared -- with whom and why; (4) set clear rules for handling and sharing personal data and disclose how the rules are being enforced; (5) ask users to opt in rather than requiring them to opt out of data-sharing policies.
Mozilla blogged it’s “pressing pause” on its Facebook ads, and is taking "a closer look at Facebook’s current default privacy settings given that we support the platform with our advertising dollars.” Current default settings leave access open to a lot of data, particularly for third-party apps, Mozilla said Wednesday.