As Facebook’s role in the ever-widening Cambridge Analytica data scandal sinks in, people are quitting the platform in droves as investigations into privacy violations begin. Now, after multiple days of silence which were decried anonymously by high-ranking Facebook executives, Mark Zuckerberg has made a statement.
In short, Zuckerberg takes responsibility and promises to “be better” while outlining the steps the company will take to secure its user data in the future. Zuckerberg admits they made a mistake, and they’re working to fix it.
“We have a responsibility to protect your data,” Zuckerberg said. “And if we can’t then we don’t deserve to serve you. I’ve been working to understand exactly what happened and how to make sure this doesn’t happen again. The good news is that the most important actions to prevent this from happening again today we have already taken years ago. But we also made mistakes, there’s more to do, and we need to step up and do it.”
For many, it’s not enough. The Cambridge Analytica campaign, which weaponized user data to build profiles that would succumb to the propaganda unleashed, led to Steve Bannon’s “drain the swamp” and “deep state” rallying cries. Those sentiments are still being echoed and signal boosted as Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into collusion between the Russians and Donald Trump’s campaign expands.
It’s a situation so serious and far-reaching that even the founder of Whatsapp, who made billions off Facebook’s purchase of his messenger, is calling to #DeleteFacebook.
Mark Zuckerberg’s apology rings hollow. Facebook has almost single-handedly destroyed our constitutional right to privacy and helped an American dictator steal an election. We need our democracy back.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) March 21, 2018
“Personally, I think the idea that fake news on Facebook, it’s a very small amount of the content, influenced the election in any way is a pretty crazy idea,”
-Mark Zuckerberg, Nov. 9th, 2016"Our bad"
-Mark Zuckerberg, today— Nate Lerner (@NathanLerner) March 21, 2018
https://twitter.com/EP_President/status/976119350112538629
Mark Zuckerberg "went personally to meet with Russia's number 2 person at the Kremlin" for Facebook business interests.
Will he "stand up and face the U.S. Congress like he faced those Kremlin officials?" – @AriMelber pic.twitter.com/7gqMUf4kEv
— The Beat with Ari Melber 📺 (@TheBeatWithAri) March 20, 2018
“Your data is safe with Facebook,” Mark Zuckerberg writes, followed in the feed by a sponsored post for a sweatshirt that says “Keep Calm And MY DATA IS SAFE WITH FACEBOOK"
— Jason O. Gilbert (@gilbertjasono) March 21, 2018
Now that the horse has fled the paddock, Mark Zuckerberg is promising to fix the gate.
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) March 21, 2018
https://twitter.com/michael_hanna88/status/976546116601831424
https://twitter.com/4everNeverTrump/status/976553095000817664
https://twitter.com/jentilo/status/976552811436609536
Retweeted Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec):
Mark Zuckerberg has done the impossible. He has united the left and the right. Against him
— SafeLibraries® (@SafeLibraries) March 21, 2018
Mark Zuckerberg didn't actually apologize. pic.twitter.com/DuIPxHHRaE
— @THEEangsiegel (@THEEangsiegel) March 21, 2018
https://twitter.com/gregflannigan/status/976559412402831361
Mark Zuckerberg is one of the last people you should trust, and I mean that both literally and alphabetically.
— God (@TheTweetOfGod) March 21, 2018