Mark Zuckerberg Apologises For Facebook Data Scandal In Full-Page Newspaper Advertisements
Facebook, over the past few days, has been under tremendous scrutiny. Mark Zuckerberg first posted on Facebook addressing the whole issue. However, the Facebook post looked more like a recap of the controversy and less of an apology. He talked about steps that Facebook will take in order to curb this problem. But, never once said that he or the company was sorry for what had happened.
Now, the social media and giant has taken to print media to issue an apology. Facebook took out several full-page advertisements in newspapers like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and several UK papers. The ads take the form of an apology written by Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Facebook Inc.
Facebook took out full page ads in the NYT, WSJ, WashPost, and 6 UK papers today https://t.co/kMA822kTpU pic.twitter.com/CUEYwyWuTT
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 25, 2018
The apology, again, talks a lot about the steps Facebook is taking or has taken already to curb data breaching. The apology reiterates that the company has limited the amount of data an app gets when a user signs up through their Facebook account. However, the tone of the ad certainly is a bit more remorseful than the Facebook post from last week. Zuckerberg writes, “This was a breach of trust and I’m sorry we didn’t do more at the time. I promise to do better for you.”.
A few days ago, a story broke out, exposing a British data analytics firm and its illegal acquisition of private data of about 50 million users. Cambridge Analytica, the firm in question performed work for the campaign of President Donald Trump and made ads for the Defeat Crooked Hillary page. Worth noting that that the page was run by the Make America Number One super PAC (Political Action Committee). Co-incidentally, both the Cambridge Analytica and Make America Number One financed by Robert and Rebekah Mercer, who backed Donald Trump in the general election.
Ever since the story went public, the repercussions have been severe for the social media giant. Apart from a massive dent in its reputation, the company has been hit with several lawsuits. The hashtag #DeleteFacebook has been trending on social media as well. Moreover, the company has lost over US$ 60 billion in market cap since the controversy began.