Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing regarding the company’s use and protection of user data on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 11, 2018.AARON P. BERNSTEIN/Reuters
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg answered questions from Congress in Tuesday’s joint Senate committee and Wednesday’s House energy and commerce committee. Here are the big takeaways:
1) What exactly is Facebook?
Is Facebook a technology company or a media company? The question is critical to how lawmakers decide to regulate the social media firm. Mr. Zuckerberg insisted his focus is on hiring engineers to build tools, but conceded his company must take more responsibility for the content it publishes.
Transcript from Wednesday’s hearing
REP. GREG WALDEN (Republican): Is Facebook a media company?
ZUCKERBERG: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I consider us to be a technology company, because the primary thing that we do is have engineers who write code and build products and services for other people.
There are certainly other things that we do, too. We – we do pay to help produce content. We build enterprise software, although I don’t consider us an enterprise software company. We build planes to help connect people, and I don’t consider ourselves to be an aerospace company.
But, over all, when people ask us if we’re a media company, what – what I hear is, “Do we have a responsibility for the content that people share on Facebook?” And I believe the answer to that question is yes.
2) Data protection
Lawmakers got personal with Mr. Zuckerberg in highlighting the need for better privacy regulations to protect user data, including asking him whether his own data had been sold to “malicious third parties” such as Cambridge Analytica.
Transcript from Wednesday’s hearing
REP. ANNA ESHOO (Democrat): Was your data included in the data sold to the malicious third parties? Your personal data?
ZUCKERBERG: Yes.
ESHOO: It was. Are you willing to change your business model in the interest of protecting individual privacy?
ZUCKERBERG: Congresswoman, we are – have made and are continuing to make changes to reduce the amount of …
ESHOO: No, are you willing to change your business model in the interest of protecting individual privacy?
ZUCKERBERG: Congresswoman, I’m not sure what that means.
ESHOO: Well, I’ll follow up with you on it.
Senator Roy Blunt looks on as Senator Lindsey Graham holds up the privacy agreement of Facebook as its CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a joint Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees hearing regarding the company’s use and protection of user data, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 10, 2018.LEAH MILLIS/Reuters
3) Social media monopoly
One criticism of Facebook is that it has become a social media monopoly, which could open the door to a potential antitrust investigation. In Mr. Zuckerberg’s view, Facebook competes aggressively for users’ attention online.
Transcript from Tuesday’s hearing
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R): Is there an alternative to Facebook in the private sector?
ZUCKERBERG: Yes, Senator. The average American uses eight different apps to communicate with their friends and stay in touch with people …
(CROSSTALK)
GRAHAM: Okay. Which is …
ZUCKERBERG: … ranging from texting apps, to e-mail, to …
GRAHAM: … is the same service you provide?
ZUCKERBERG: Well, we provide a number of different services.
GRAHAM: Is Twitter the same as what you do?
ZUCKERBERG: It overlaps with a portion of what we do.
GRAHAM: You don’t think you have a monopoly?
ZUCKERBERG: It certainly doesn’t feel like that to me.
GRAHAM: Okay.
4) Censorship
Republicans have accused Mr. Zuckerberg of suppressing conservative and religious views on Facebook, pointing to the case of social media personalities Diamond and Silk. The two African-American Donald Trump supporters said Facebook limited traffic to their content last year after deeming it “unsafe to the community.”
Transcript from Wednesday’s hearing
REP. JOE BARTON (R): So, my first question: “Please ask Mr. Zuckerberg, why is Facebook censoring conservative bloggers such as Diamond and Silk? Facebook called them unsafe to the community. That is ludicrous. They hold conservative views. That isn’t unsafe.” What’s your response to …
ZUCKERBERG: Congressman, in that specific case, our team made an enforcement error. And we have already gotten in touch with them to reverse it.
5) 2016 U.S. presidential election
Facebook has also been caught up in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible Russian collusion with the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Zuckerberg said his company had received subpoenas from prosecutors, before backtracking to say Facebook was working with the investigation.
Transcript from Tuesday’s hearing
SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D): Mr. Zuckerberg, I – I assume Facebook’s been served with subpoenas from the – Special Counsel Mueller’s office. Is that correct?
ZUCKERBERG: Yes.
LEAHY: Have you or anyone at Facebook been interviewed by the Special Counsel’s Office?
ZUCKERBERG: Yes.
LEAHY: Have you been interviewed …
ZUCKERBERG: I have not. I – I have not.
LEAHY: Others have?
ZUCKERBERG: I – I believe so. And I want to be careful here, because that – our work with the special counsel is confidential, and I want to make sure that, in an open session, I’m not revealing something that’s confidential.
LEAHY: I understand. I just want to make clear that you have been contacted, you have had subpoenas.
ZUCKERBERG: Actually, let me clarify that. I actually am not aware of – of a subpoena. I believe that there may be, but I know we’re working with them.