Facebook came under public criticism in 2018 when the story broke that Cambridge Analytica, a data/consulting firm, obtained data regarding Facebook users without their knowledge or consent. It is estimated that 87 million users were affected and that the information likely included users’ birth dates, page likes and public profiles. There was also concern about Russia’s use of social media platforms like Facebook to influence the American electorate.
Congress–under pressure to enact tighter regulations to protect the personal data of their constituents– called Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify about its role in the data breach, its responsibility to users and its commitment to work with Congress to prevent future breaches. Watch the below summary of the testimony and post your thoughts regarding whether Facebook’s role in and response to this controversy was ethical. Please respond to ONE other students as well.
Click on the title of the video below to play the video. If you have any problems with the link you will also see an additional link to the video in the learning module (right below the discussion).