Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologised to European Union lawmakers in Brussels for the Cambridge Analytica data mining and election meddling scandals but avoided answering numerous specific questions during the live streamed session. “We didn’t take a broad enough view of our responsibility – that was a mistake and I’m sorry for it,” he said, according to the WSJ, adding that “I’m committed to getting this right.” He agreed to appear before the European Parliament after political consultancy Cambridge Analytica improperly got hold of the personal data of 87 million Facebook users, including up to 2.7 million in the EU.
However, the format of the meeting meant meant Zuckerberg only spent around 30 minutes giving answers to a 60-minute block of consecutive questions and he gave no responses to questions regarding opt-outs from targeted advertising, the sharing of data between Facebook and WhatsApp, plus whether he thought it was morally correct to collect data on people who don’t use Facebook.
Zuckerberg did say Facebook expected to be compliant with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDRP) by 25 May and that he would follow up on any unanswered questions in writing over the following days. A company executive would also be sent for a more extensive hearing.
