When Does Mark Zuckerberg Testify Again

Greetings from Washington, D.C.! We are settled in the hearing room at the Hart Senate Part Building on Capitol Colina awaiting Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who will answer questions from Senators today about Facebook'due south information privacy practices in the wake of the company'due south Cambridge Analytica scandal.

[Click hither to refresh this page for the latest updates.]

Zuckerberg is ready to appear in less than an hour — and we'll be updating live from within the hearing room all afternoon. (Sounds like the hearing could be every bit long equally four hours!)

Hither'due south how y'all tin watch the hearing alive (or lookout in PBS NewsHour'due south YouTube video in a higher place). And hither'south how you can figure out if your personal data was office of the information set collected past Cambridge Analytica back in 2013.

Reminder: This is the first of two hearings for Zuckerberg this week. Tomorrow he'll be back to take questions from the House Commerce Commission. Today, the questions will come from two different Senate committees: The Senate Judiciary Commission and the Senate Commerce, Scientific discipline and Transportation Committee. At that place are expected to exist 44 Senators hither today asking questions — and so many that they had to add a 2nd row of chairs and microphones.

Marker Zuckerberg'due south chair awaits.

2:07 pm ET: Hi! I'm here inside the hearing room and we're all waiting for Zuckerberg. The hearing was supposed to start at ii:fifteen pm ET, but sounds like it has been pushed back a bit to accommodate a Senate vote taking identify around the same time. Nonetheless, it's tight quarters in here. I'm counting more than 70 members of the printing, not including all of these photographers waiting to get a picture of Zuckerberg seated in his chair.

2:14 pm ET: A few more details most the scene hither — there is a line of people waiting to get in that I would estimate extends over 100 yards. The first woman in line told me she got here at 7:15 this morning, and there are dozens more cameras waiting to capture Zuckerberg walking in. Directly backside the press table in the first row of seats are members of Facebook'south communications squad, including Facebook'south VP of Global Communications and Public Policy Elliot Schrage, who is sitting next to his son. On the other side of united states, right behind where Zuckerberg will sit, is Facebook's General Counsel Colin Stretch, who testified here last fall nigh Russian ads on Facebook.

The crowd outside of Zuckerberg's testimony

2:18 pm ET: We have a few protestors in the building. They were silent, but every lensman here got pictures of these signs (I did my best from my seat).

Protestors inside the Zuckerberg hearing.

ii:26 pm ET: Everyone only got super quiet, though nothing appears to be happening. A few Senators take started to take their seats. I tin can meet Ted Cruz. All the same awaiting Zuckerberg. Most of the Senate seats are still empty.

two:29 pm ET: Zuckerberg just walked in with Facebook'due south VP of Policy Joel Kaplan behind him. There are thousands of camera clicks coming from the photo gallery. He shook easily with a few Senators, posed for the cameras, and now we are under way.

ii:35 pm ET: We are starting with opening statements from Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. John Thune, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. At that place are still a number of empty seats here for Senators not present. Here's a wait at the view I have from my seat in the press section.

Mark Zuckerberg testifying before Congress.

2:46 pm ET: We are even so hearing opening statements from the Senators. Virtually of what's being said is the kind of stuff yous accept heard before. They've commented on Facebook's size, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein outlined the Cambridge Analytica situation. (They'd like to agree a second hearing directly on that issue, according to Grassley.) Grassley also summarized Facebook's ad business and data collection practices. Anybody is excited to hear from Zuckerberg, etc.

2:fifty pm ET: Sen. Pecker Nelson merely summarized things pretty well with his opening statement. "Permit me just cutting to the chase," he said. "If you lot and other social media companies practice not become your act in order, none of us are gonna have privacy anymore. That'due south what we're facing."

2:53 pm ET: Zuckerberg is finally reading his testimony, which he submitted to the committee yesterday. You can read it in total hither. "I started Facebook, I run it, and I'm responsible for what happens here," he just said. That's why Zuckerberg is here answering questions and not someone else.

2:59 pm ET: The testimonies and opening statements are all over. We are starting the Q&A now with Grassley, who reminded everyone they only get 5 minutes. (Thank god.) I volition likely update sparingly here instead of writing an exhaustive recap of every exchange.

The offset question was whether or non Facebook is aware of any other Cambridge Analytica-type situations with other developers or data firms. Zuckerberg repeated what Facebook said a few weeks ago: That the visitor is looking for any other potential bad actors, and volition audit companies that it thinks may have had improper access to lots of user data.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Testifies At Joint Senate Commerce/Judiciary Hearing

3:x pm ET: Next up: Sen. Nelson. He asked if Facebook is considering a business model where users could pay for an ad-gratuitous service.

Zuckerberg: At that place is a way for users to opt out of Facebook targeting them with ads based on the data they have about each user. That would mean Facebook would yet show them ads, but not personalized ads. "Fifty-fifty though some people don't like ads, people actually don't like ads that aren't relevant," Zuckerberg said. He also clarified that Facebook doesn't "offer an choice today for people to pay to not prove ads." It doesn't audio similar a subscription model is something Facebook is seriously considering.

iii:16 pm ET: Sen. Feinstein is asking Zuckerberg, pointedly, about what it is doing to try and avert another Russian election ads scenario. Zuckerberg said that one of his greatest regrets running Facebook is not identifying Russian "information operations" effectually the 2016 ballot fast enough. ("Information operations" is code for fake news and Russian propaganda aimed at hurting public discourse.) When Feinstein asked when he get-go became aware of those efforts, Zuckerberg said information technology was "correct effectually the time of the 2016 election itself."

three:20 pm ET: Feinstein just asked another expert question, and one Zuckerberg says he asked his own squad a few weeks agone: Why didn't Facebook ban Cambridge Analytica back in 2015 when it first institute out they were collecting user info in means that violated its terms?

Zuckerberg said that Cambridge Analytica wasn't using Facebook dorsum in 2015. They weren't an advertiser, they weren't operating any pages. "We had nothing to ban," he says.

three:23 pm ET: First chuckle of the mean solar day (at least from me) comes thanks to a question from Sen. Orrin Hatch: How do you expect to go along your business going longterm without charging users?

Zuckerberg, later on an awkward pause: "Senator, we run ads."

3:24 pm ET: Zuckerberg was asked what kind of regulation he would exist okay with. As you might await, Zuckerberg mentioned stuff that Facebook already does. He said he thinks that companies should create a "simple and practical manner" for people to make up one's mind what information companies collect from them and how it'due south used. Facebook just rewrote its terms of service to endeavor and accomplish this very thing, and it'south part of the requirements for the upcoming GDPR privacy regulations in the EU the company plans to comply with. He too talked about giving people control over the stuff they post — which he says Facebook already does.

three:30 pm ET: When asked if privacy rules from Europe — the GDPR rules — should be applied in the U.S., Zuckerberg said he thinks "everyone in the world deserves skillful privacy protections." He said that Facebook plans to implement primal aspects of GDPR to all of its users, though information technology might non exist absolutely identical in each land.

3:37 pm ET: Zuckerberg was just asked past Sen. Patrick Leahy if he or anyone at Facebook was working with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Zuckerberg said yes, someone at Facebook is working with the Special Counsel, merely non Zuckerberg himself. Information technology was a weird exchange, mostly considering Zuckerberg said he didn't want to say something that was confidential, but he ultimately settled on saying he was "non aware" of whether or not Facebook has been subpoenaed, merely "I know that we're working with them."

3:44 pm ET: Sen. Lindsey Graham is the kickoff Senator really getting testy with Zuckerberg. He keeps cutting him off. Outset, he brought upwardly the Andrew "Boz" Bosworth memo about Facebook growing at all costs that leaked a few weeks agone, and asked why Zuckerberg allowed Boz to publish it internally. Graham said he would take fired an employee who shared those kinds of opinions. Zuckerberg said he tries to run Facebook in a manner where people can express their ain opinions, fifty-fifty if they are unpopular.

So Graham started request Zuckerberg who his biggest competitor was. Graham asked where he could become to utilise a social network if he didn't desire to use Facebook. Patently, in that location was no existent good answer from Zuckerberg. Graham then asked if Facebook was a monopoly. "It certainly doesn't feel like that to me," Zuckerberg replied.

3:52 pm ET: This was a few minutes ago. Graham asked Zuckerberg if the average person reads the Facebook terms of service, where the company outlines most of the rules effectually what it collects and how it'southward used. "I don't remember that the average person likely reads that whole document," Zuckerberg said. No kidding!

3:55 pm ET: Sen. Amy Klobuchar just asked Zuckerberg if he would back up a rule that stipulates companies need to notify users within 72 hours of a data breach happening.

Zuckerberg said that that makes sense to him.

If you're wondering why Facebook never alerted people near Cambridge Analytica then, it'southward because Facebook doesn't consider what happened in that location a breach. No i hacked Facebook or stole data from the company's servers. The data walked out the door the manner it was supposed to — it was just mishandled by the people who collected it.

That'southward what Facebook would tell you lot, at to the lowest degree. Which explains why Zuckerberg tin can say he agrees to alert people of a breach, only why Facebook never alerted people about Cambridge Analytica.

4:07 pm ET: "I agree that we're responsible for the content."

That was Zuckerberg talking about Facebook's responsibility for the stuff its users post to the service. What makes that responsibleness tough is that Zuckerberg told Recode just a few weeks ago that he is "fundamentally uncomfortable" making content decisions for Facebook. That's a bad combo.

4:eleven pm ET: Ahh! They just tried to requite Zuckerberg (and us) a break since information technology has been virtually 2 hours. Zuckerberg smiled and said he wanted to keep going. "We tin do a few more ... mayhap 15 minutes?" And then we are doing a few more.

Interesting: When Zuckerberg did a conference call with reporters final week, he actually did this same thing. When the moderator tried to end questioning, he asked to keep going. I thought information technology made him sound confident. Seems similar a good strategy. I don't need a break. Bring it on.

4:19 pm ET: Sen. Ted Cruz is at present going difficult after Zuckerberg, and implying that Facebook is biased against conservatives. His first question was whether or not Facebook is a "neutral public forum." (Zuckerberg said it's a platform for all ideas.) Then Cruz asked why Palmer Lucky was fired, asking whether or not it was for his political beliefs. (Information technology was learned in 2016 that Lucky was supporting a conservative Pro-Trump group that created anti-Hillary memes.) Zuckerberg said he was non fired for his politics, but didn't go into more detail.

4:22 pm ET: Okay, here is our 5-minute break. I think Zuckerberg looks pretty solid so far. As far as I can tell, he hasn't stumbled on whatsoever of the questions (which haven't been every bit tough as I expected), and seems pretty calm. It'south clear a few of these politicians don't know a ton about how Facebook works.

iv:34 pm ET: We're back from the break and Zuckerberg started by issuing a correction to something he said earlier, which was that Cambridge Analytica wasn't banned from Facebook in 2015 because Cambridge Analytica wasn't on Facebook in 2015. Zuckerberg says that, actually, Cambridge Analytica started advert on Facebook in belatedly 2015. "We could have, in theory, banned them and so. We made a mistake past non doing so," he said.

four:42 pm ET: More questions for Zuckerberg virtually whether or not Facebook should interfere with what people post to the service. Zuckerberg says that the company shouldn't interfere with stuff that doesn't fall into obvious buckets — nudity, self-harm, terrorist content, etc. This has been Facebook's stance for a long time, and part of the reason it's hard for Facebook to monitor stuff the way some people would like.

four:44 pm ET: Interesting that many of the Senators come up and get throughout this process. Lots of empty chairs right now.

four:51 pm ET: Here'southward another example of how Senators don't necessarily know how Facebook and its products piece of work. Sen. Brian Schatz asked multiple times if his WhatsApp letters could be used to inform the ads he sees. Zuckerberg replied multiple times that WhatsApp messages are fully encrypted — which means no, Facebook cannot read them. Schatz is certainly not the only one with that question, simply the exchange shows how Facebook has to routinely help people understand how its services work on a pretty basic level.

four:59 pm ET: Information technology feels like this hearing is losing some steam. Much of the past two exchanges were about getting to a basic understanding of how Facebook's products and services work. Now Sen. Chris Coons is using the bulk of his five minutes talking about his ain Facebook experience. He finally ended with one question: Why does Facebook put the brunt of flagging inappropriate content on users instead of protecting them itself?

Zuckerberg: We need to practice better on content policy. In that location is a lot of content to go through, nosotros're hiring more people, etc. Feels like we are starting to get more than and more repeat questions and answers.

v:06 pm ET: I've been waiting for someone to play the "dad menu" on Zuckerberg, who has 2 fiddling girls. Sen. Ben Sasse finally asked Zuckerberg what he thought, equally a dad, about social media habit.

Zuckerberg: "This is certainly something that every parent thinks about, is how much practice you want your kids using engineering." He said that Facebook wants to build services that people similar merely that are besides good for club. Zuckerberg repeated the general idea that Facebook has been sharing for a few months now, which is that social media tin can be good for you if you are using it to engage with more than people, not for passively scrolling.

v:16 pm ET: We are about three hours into this hearing and I am not sure that we have really learned anything new yet about Facebook and the way information technology collects or uses information. That is bang-up news for Facebook. If we all walk away from this calendar week, subsequently hours of questioning from U.S. lawmakers, and don't have any new headlines about Facebook'southward information policies, I recall the company will consider that a win.

five:22 pm ET: Sen. Mazie Hirono asked Zuckerberg if he would help Clearing and Customs Enforcement (ICE) use social media information to profile immigrants nether its "extreme vetting" initiative. That would mean using Facebook to determine if an immigrant would be likely to commit a crime or likely to contribute positively to society.

"We would not proactively do that," Zuckerberg said. Immigration is a large issue for Zuckerberg, who is a huge supporter of Dreamers — undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.Due south. every bit children. Zuckerberg added that Facebook merely assists law enforcement with users' persona information when information technology is required to.

5:26 pm ET: Laughter. I only heard laughter. People are smiling!

Sen. Dan Sullivan said Zuckerberg'southward story was miraculous — from dorm room to massive company. He asked Zuckerberg, "Merely in America, would you agree with that?"

Zuckerberg hesitated, then said "mostly in America" before mentioning some "very strong Chinese cyberspace companies."

Sullivan replied: "Y'all're supposed to answer yes to this question. C'mon, I'm trying to help yous! Requite me a break! The answer is 'yes.'" Everyone laughed. It was nice.

five:37 pm ET: Oh wow. They just said we are almost 2-thirds of the style through questions. Subsequently three and a half hours. Buckle up, folks.

5:46 pm ET: Sen. Cory Booker used all of his time to accost specific issues of bigotry, including a "lack of urgency" that some believe Facebook is showing when it comes to diversifying its workforce. Booker also asked if Zuckerberg was committed to protecting civil rights activists so they are not targeted on Facebook. Zuckerberg said that he would, and they only aid law enforcement look into personal information about users when they are required to by constabulary.

I was told earlier this hearing that members of the Congressional Blackness Caucus might be particularly tough on Zuckerberg. (Booker is a member.) Booker was not necessarily tougher than anyone else, but all of his questions were specific to bug of race and bigotry.

v:55 pm ET: Sen. Dean Heller asked Zuckerberg if he thought he was a victim in the Cambridge Analytica situation. He said no. He asked if he thought Facebook was a victim. He said no. He asked if the 87 million people whose data may have ended upwards in CA'south hands were victims. Zuckerberg said yeah.

"They did not want their data to exist sold to Cambridge Analytica by a programmer," he said. "Even though we didn't exercise information technology, I think we have a responsibility to be able to forestall that and be able to take action sooner."

I feel like Facebook played the "we are a victim" card a bit when this all kickoff came to low-cal last month. The idea that this was because of "bad actors," but not because of Facebook, didn't sit super well right away. Zuckerberg has started to take much more than responsibility in recent weeks.

6:01 pm ET: We've reached our second break of the mean solar day. Right before this, Zuckerberg was asked most one of my favorite Facebook conspiracy theories: Does Facebook utilise your phone'due south microphone to mind to what you say and then show you ads based on that info?

Zuckerberg said no, this doesn't happen. The company gets this question so often it even published a web log post about information technology in mid-2016. Some of those Facebook ads and friend recommendations are definitely creepy, though. Hither's how the company decides who you might desire to add together as a friend, in instance you were wondering.

6:15 pm ET: Nosotros are back, and by my count have near 12 Senators left. Which ways nosotros're some other 60 minutes from beingness done here. Zuckerberg seems to be fine. Sen. Thom Tillis is helping. He isn't asking any questions at all, and instead is maxim that there shouldn't be "heavy-handed" government that comes in and oversteps on regulation. He finished his time without request a serious question.

six:19 pm ET: Here comes Sen. Kamala Harris, who immediately says she is concerned. She is pointing out a number of questions Zuckerberg has not answered well today — including that he couldn't really proper name a legitimate Facebook competitor. (Monopoly, anyone?) She asked Zuckerberg if he was part of a conversation inside Facebook where they decided not to inform users virtually the Cambridge Analytica situation at the time. He said he isn't aware of any conversation like that that took place.

Harris wants accountability. She'south asking who decided, in December 2015, that users didn't demand to know about Cambridge Analytica. Zuckerberg said again, "In retrospect, that was a mistake."

Harris is beingness tough here. She was one of the Senators I was warned to look out for before this hearing — many believe she'll brand a presidential run in 2020 and this is a chance to be tough on a big tech company in her home state. She just ran out of time, but her ultimate point landed: She doesn't think at that place was anyone driving the ship in 2015 when Facebook failed to notify people of the Cambridge Analytica situation.

6:27 pm ET: Hither is the one-liner of the 24-hour interval from Sen. John Kennedy: "Your user agreement sucks." He's challenging Zuckerberg to get rewrite his terms "in plain English language" and then people can actually understand them. Facebook really just did that, or tried to do that.

He also told Zuckerberg that whether or not Congress ultimately regulates Facebook will be upwards to him. Ball's in your courtroom, Zuckerberg!

six:39 pm ET: Zuckerberg was just asked a question I also asked him last week: Has in that location been a notable change in users since this Cambridge Analytica scandal happened? "Senator, in that location have not," Zuckerberg replied.

This is a large bargain. Facebook could be punished for Cambridge Analytica — at that place could be more regulation coming, for example. But Facebook isn't beingness punished where it would really hurt, which is in user growth. That might be scarier than the idea of bipartisan regulation.

6:43 pm ET: Stock update alarm while things seem to exist slowing down. Facebook was upward iv.5 per centum on the 24-hour interval — and hasn't given any of that back in afterwards-hours trading. Zippo Zuckerberg is proverb is spooking any investors.

6:47 pm ET: Here is another phone call to regulate Facebook, this one from Sen. Maggie Hassan. Zuckerberg said, again, that Facebook is open to regulation, so long as information technology'southward the correct regulation. I wrote yesterday that this hearing would be more than about Facebook and Zuckerberg's reputation than it would exist about hashing out potential regulation. I even so think that'due south partly the example, though we have heard some interesting arguments today for regulation beyond the Honest Ads Act and the EU's GDPR privacy regulations. It seems very clear that there will exist attempted regulation down the road; the question is whether or non information technology volition actually come to fruition.

7:07 pm ET: Things are getting very very tiresome every bit we wind down. Most of the Senate chairs are empty, most of the photographers announced to have packed upward their equipment. We are still getting questions here about how Facebook is responding to Cambridge Analytica — Zuckerberg says the company will accept legal action if their inspect of Cambridge Analytica isn't sufficient. Sen. Jon Tester says he doesn't think Facebook volition be able to conduct a full audit. It'south a fair point. By at present, it seems very likely that whatsoever information Cambridge Analytica nerveless could be destroyed or hidden somewhere it will be hard for Facebook to observe.

7:25 pm ET: Later more than than five hours, we're finally done. Zuckerberg got upward and shook hands with a few of the Senators notwithstanding here, including Grassley and Kennedy, and so exited out the dorsum of the room.

My super quick two cents: This has to be a win for Facebook. At least for now. I thought Zuckerberg came off equally smart and respectful, and I don't retrieve anyone would lookout man this and be more angry with Facebook than when the hearing started. There were some interesting ideas floated with regards to regulation, just ideas are a far way from reality, and I am non convinced that everyone in this room was eager to put more restrictions around Facebook and its concern.

For now, we'll telephone call that a nighttime. We'll be back tomorrow when Zuckerberg testifies earlier the House Commerce Committee at 10 am ET. Run into you and so!

7:56 pm ET: One concluding thing! The AP has a shot of Zuckberg'due south notes from today's hearing. A few interesting things from there:

On Apple CEO Tim Cook's comments about Facebook'southward model: "At FB, we endeavour difficult to charge you less. In fact, we're costless."
On whether Facebook employees should have been fired for the Cambridge Analytica scandal: "It's how nosotros designed the platform. That was my responsibility. Not going to throw people nether the autobus."

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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Source: https://www.vox.com/2018/4/10/17216734/live-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-testimony-senate-hearing-data

When Does Mark Zuckerberg Testify Again

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