Facebook users still waiting on privacy scandal

For the 33-year old chief executive, Tuesday’s testimony before Congress will be a first, and he has been preparing for weeks with a team of hired experts, according to The New York Times. Cambridge Analytica also reiterated its denial that it used any of the GSR data during the 2016 United States election.

And Facebook’s maneuvers have not been enough to pacify the authorities, nor settle debates concerning data privacy and regulation.

“As we find more Cambridge Analyticas, we’re going to find a comprehensive way to put them out and make sure people see them”, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg told BuzzFeed in an interview published Thursday, referring to efforts to publicize problems. First, it would create a new model between the industry and the academia and second, it would put light on issues like Facebook tools being misused, something that allegedly happened during Brexit and the U.S. presidential election. CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that he made a “huge mistake” in failing to take a broad enough view of what Facebook’s responsibility is in the world.

It comes as the Australian Privacy and Information Commissioner officially launched an investigation into the data harvesting and whether Facebook has breached privacy laws.

The report noted third-party companies misuse of users’ information could lead to the same negative result.

While the true influence of Cambridge Analytica and their use of Facebook data on 2016 election is still largely unknown, the idea that up to 87 million Facebook users could have had their information manipulated by shadowy political advertisers has sparked significant outrage with Facebook itself, and more specifically, towards Zuckerberg.

Florida Senator Bill Nelson met with Mr Zuckerberg ahead of the hearing and said afterward that he was “forthright and honest to the degree he could” be in the private, one-on-one meeting.

The data obtained was originally collected by University of Cambridge professor Aleksandr Kogan who used an app called “thisisyourdigitallife”, which offered a personality test. Facebook users who downloaded the app granted it permission to collect data on their location, friends and things they Liked.

Facebook allows apps to access much of users’ profile information but has tightened up some controls.

How will I know if my information was taken?

After 14 years of touting Facebook as a tool to bring people together, Zuckerberg is scheduled to tell the Senate and House committees this week that the website caused a whole lot of harm in doing so. Zuckerberg also was meeting with lawmakers on Monday and plans to appear at a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday.

The Canadian-based AggregateIQ says it has never been part of Cambridge Analytica or parent company SCL and has never entered into a contract with Cambridge Analytica.

“As we become more and more used to using tools, we become more used to and comfortable sharing information about ourselves, and that information is being used in this way”, McCully said. Facebook has said that it received assurances in 2015 that the trove was destroyed, and Cambridge has denied any wrongdoing and said that the information was not used to aid Trump’s campaign.

A CNBC spokesperson said the network stands by its story.

“We will continue working with the government to understand the full extent of Russian interference”, Zuckerberg said. Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, who wants to know more about the algorithms Facebook uses for what posts to show, said Sunday he fears privacy issues and “the propagandist issue are both too big for Facebook to fix”.