ZUCK GRILLING
Mark Zuckerberg tells Congress Facebook is in an ‘arms race with Russian trolls’ who want to disrupt elections
MARK Zuckerberg told Congress that Facebook is in an "arms race" with Russian trolls who want to influence elections.
The 33-year-old Facebook Chief Executive - notoriously shy of the limelight - was probed at Capitol Hill in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and accusations it fails to prevent hackers and trolls.
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Quizzed over Russia's interference and the spread of false information via fake accounts, Zuckerberg said they had improved tools to stop so-called "bad actors".
But he told Congress: "This is an arms race. They're going to keep getting better."
Sat on a four-inch booster seat, the 5ft 7inch tech tsar said: "We've deployed new AI tools that do a better job."
He revealed Facebook is co-operating with Robert Mueller's special counsel investigating links between Trump's election campaign and Russia.
But he was awkwardly forced to backtrack saying: "I want to be careful here. Our work with the special counsel is confidential."
During the marathon, five hour hearing, the Facebook billionaire apologised for data breaches, adding: "It was my mistake, and I'm sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I'm responsible for what happens here."
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Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg tells Congress how social media giant will deal with Cambridge Analytica data scandal
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Mark Zuckerberg walks inside Capitol Hill to testify to US Senate on Facebook privacy scandal
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Mark Zuckerberg reflects back on the history of Facebook and says he is sorry for all 'mistakes' during his testimony to the US Senate
The intense grilling started early, with Democratic senator Bill Nelson telling Zuckerberg: "If Facebook can't fix the privacy invasions then we're going to have to."
Mr Zuckerberg vowed to audit suspicious apps - which can be used to scrape users' personal data - saying: "We believe that we’re going to be investigating many apps – tens of thousands."
Asked on what Facebook was doing to prevent influence on elections, Mr Zuckerberg said it was "one of my main priorities for 2018."
There were multiple calls for the company to improve its user agreement, but Mr Zuckerberg said it was simplistic because most people would not read a "long legal document".
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg grilled by US Congress over data misuse in a marathon five-hour hearing
He said: "It's pretty much impossible to start a company in your dorm room and grow at the rate we have and not make mistakes.
"Overall I would say we're going through a broader philosophical shift in how we view the company."
He vowed not to add a fee for using Facebook but hinted users may have to eventually PAY to keep their information private.
Democrat Senator Bill Nelson asked him: “I am going to have to pay you, in order not to send me - using my personal information - something I don’t want?”
Zuckerberg replied: “Yes senator.”
He added there would "always be a version of Facebook that is free."
Senator Kamala Harris questions Mark Zuckerberg over not informing Facebook users about stolen data
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Facebook Chief Exec Mark Zuckerberg tells Congress there'll always be a 'version of Facebook' that will be free
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Mark Zuckerberg says that using ads is the only way Facebook can reach billions of people
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When asked how it was possible to run a business with no charge to its users her grinned and said: "senator, we run ads."
On a few occasions Mr Zuckerberg mentioned 'face recognition' technology as a possible solution to security concerns.
There were laughs when Senator Dick Durbin asked if he would be happy revealing what hotel he stayed in last night and who he sent messages to, to make a point about privacy.
Zuckerberg replied: "Um, no."
He faced probes over young users and was forced to admit he did not know if Facebook held call logs for users aged between 13 to 17.
"We can follow up on that," he told the hearing.
Later he was forced to deny Facebook had a political bias when senator Ted Cruz accused the site of shutting out conservative stories and banning Republican supporters.
Main talking points after Mark Zuckerberg's Congress grilling
- Zuckerberg apologised over data leaks saying: "It's clear now that we didn't do enough to prevent these tools from being used for harm"
- He said not alerting users affected by the Cambridge Analytica breach sooner was a "mistake"
- The CEO said they were examining "tens-of-thousands" more suspicious apps
- He admitted being called to help the Robert Mueller investigation
- He left open the possibility of an ad-free Facebook that users would PAY for - but said there would always be a free version
- Face recognition was mooted as a way of boosting security
- He said Facebook was better at dealing with Russian-linked saboteurs setting up fake accounts but admitted: "it's an arms race"
- 5ft 7" Zuckerberg sat on a booster seat during the probe
- Protestors campaigned at the hearing - including one dressed as a Russian troll
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Ahead of the grilling, campaign group Avaaz stuck 100 Zuckerberg cardboard-cutouts on the lawn outside the Washington DC building to protest against fake accounts spreading false information which may have affected elections.
Some on-lookers queued outside to get a glimpse of the elusive tech tsar.
Zuckerberg founded Facebook in his Harvard University dorm room in 2004, and is fighting to prove Facebook is a tool for good and that he can control people and nations trying to manipulate the platform.
The hearing was sparked by the Cambridge Analytica scandal - which saw a third party app harvest user data of 87 millions users, which it them passed on during the 2016 US election.
The data analysis firm's London offices have since been searched by police amid widespread concern over its work.
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Facebook tells users if they had data stolen by Cambridge Analytica with 'protecting your information' link on news feeds
Ahead of the hearing Zuckerberg he posted: "I will do everything I can to make Facebook a place where everyone can stay closer with the people they care about, and to make sure it's a positive force in the world."
He released a printed statement ahead of his appearance in which he apologised multiple times for failing to recognise and deal with threats to privacy and the spread of fake news.
An audience of millions tuned in to stream his DC appearance.
Facebook hired several outside consultants to help coach Zuckerberg, even holding mock sessions to prepare him for questions from lawmakers.
Around 40 senators on two committees were part of the marathon grilling.
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Zuckerberg will get a second dose of questioning on Wednesday from the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Yesterday he was trolled on social media over his apologetic stance.
He was also hit with a class action lawsuit of £51 BILLION, $1,000 for every Facebook user affected by the Cambridge Analytica data leak.
Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, talks about the Cambridge Analytica data scandal
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