Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologised on Tuesday for not doing enough to prevent the misuse of users’ data.
He said it had become clear that the company had not done enough to prevent its tools from being used to promote fake news, allow foreign meddling in elections, and from outside developers misusing personal information.
“We didn’t take a broad enough view of our responsibility,” said Mr Zuckerberg in prepared remarks to senior European Union politicians. “That was a mistake and I am sorry for it.”
Politicians said it was his 15th apology in a decade for Facebook failings. They called on Mr Zuckerberg to reveal all the data the company held about potential meddling in elections and questioned whether it should be broken up because of its status as a monopoly with 2.2 billion users.
Mr Zuckerberg did not respond to a number of the questions but accepted that authorities would put fresh controls on powerful social media sites. “I don’t think the question is whether or not there should be regulation. I think the question is what is the right regulation,” he said. “The important thing is to get this right.”
The 90-minute meeting ended with politicians complaining that Mr Zuckerberg had failed to answer all of their questions.
After they spent two-thirds of the time posing questions, Mr Zuckerberg had barely 25 minutes left to answer them before calling an end to the meeting. A Facebook spokesperson said Mr Zuckerberg's schedule was "very tight", although he was not scheduled for other meetings in Brussels.
The Facebook chief travelled to France on Wednesday to meet with President Emmanuel Macron at a conference in Paris, where the heads of companies including Microsoft, IBM and Uber were invited to discuss how technology can be used for the common good.
Mr Zuckerberg’s appearance in Brussels followed a 10-hour session before US congressional committees last month over the misuse of data scandal involving UK-based political consultancy Cambridge Analytica (CA).
He has refused to appear before British politicians to answer questions about his company’s relationship with CA, which was accused of trying to obtain Facebook user data to influence Donald Trump’s campaigning strategy for the 2016 United States presidential election.
Mr Zuckerberg’s decision to snub the UK’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee angered politicians, who are considering new regulations against social media companies such as Google and Facebook.
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Read more:
Zuckerberg to push positives in testimony over Cambridge Analytica
Zuckerberg to meet EU officials but will dodge public grilling
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Mr Zuckerberg’s grilling came after a prominent critic called for a radical overhaul of the tech company’s business model after the “hijacking” of its 2.2 billion users.
Hours before Mr Zuckerberg’s appearance in Brussels, the British MPs heard testimony from Tristan Harris, a former Google employee who has said that Facebook is too powerful to be controlled by one man.
Mr Harris, the founder for the Centre for Humane Technology, called for Facebook’s business model to be dismantled because of the long-term effects on behaviour, mental health and technology addiction. He has previously said that the company should be turned into a heavily-regulated public benefit corporation to serve the public good.
He said politicians should:
:: Ban advertising that allows social media companies to use their vast data holdings to ‘micro-target’ voters
:: Change the legal basis of social media companies so they are held responsible for their impact on users
:: Tax the companies based on the level of harm to society through mental health problems and addiction
“When you control people’s minds, you control society,” said Mr Harris, speaking via videolink from Paris, where he is also due to attend a global tech summit organised by President Macron.
He said the companies employed “growth hackers” whose role was to use psychological tactics to build the number of users and increase the time they spent on a particular platform.
He said that the tactics had seen Facebook “hijack two billion human beings” through their “addiction to growth and global domination”.
He said that the gathering of vast amounts of data meant that engineers at technology companies would know better than an individual how they will behave and vote. “This is only going to continue, which is why we have to change course,” said Mr Harris.
“They [social media companies] fear any kind of regulation. They fear anything that would slow them down because they need to grow fast.
“It’s like a priest in a confession booth listening to two billion confessions” and then selling the product of those discussions, he said. “We should never have allowed them to have the business model of selling that to a third party.”
Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15
Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered
UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered
Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered
Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered
Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered
Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
NINE WINLESS GAMES
Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace (Oct 27, PL)
Liverpool 5-5 Arsenal (Oct 30, EFL)
Arsenal 1-1 Wolves (Nov 02, PL)
Vitoria Guimaraes 1-1 Arsenal (Nov 6, Europa)
Leicester 2-0 Arsenal (Nov 9, PL)
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton (Nov 23, PL)
Arsenal 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt (Nov 28, Europa)
Norwich 2-2 Arsenal (Dec 01, PL)
Arsenal 1-2 Brighton (Dec 05, PL)
Results:
2.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.
Winner: AZ Dhabyan, Adam McLean (jockey), Saleha Al Ghurair (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.
Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
3.15pm: Conditions (PA) Dh60,000 2,000m.
Winner: Hareer Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
3.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,700m.
Winner: Kenz Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup (TB) Dh 200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
4.45pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 1,200m.
Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
FIRST TEST SCORES
England 458
South Africa 361 & 119 (36.4 overs)
England won by 211 runs and lead series 1-0
Player of the match: Moeen Ali (England)
Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone: 971 50 220 0326
The biog
From: Ras Al Khaimah
Age: 50
Profession: Electronic engineer, worked with Etisalat for the past 20 years
Hobbies: 'Anything that involves exploration, hunting, fishing, mountaineering, the sea, hiking, scuba diving, and adventure sports'
Favourite quote: 'Life is so simple, enjoy it'
Previous men's records
- 2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
- 2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
- 2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
- 2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
- 2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
- 2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
- 2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
- 2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
- 2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
- 2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
How Beautiful this world is!
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
}Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Fighter profiles
Gabrieli Pessanha (Brazil)
Reigning Abu Dhabi World Pro champion in the 95kg division, virtually unbeatable in her weight class. Known for her pressure game but also dangerous with her back on the mat.
Nathiely de Jesus, 23, (Brazil)
Two-time World Pro champion renowned for her aggressive game. She is tall and most feared by her opponents for both her triangles and arm-bar attacks.
Thamara Ferreira, 24, (Brazil)
Since her brown belt days, Ferreira has been dominating the 70kg, in both the World Pro and the Grand Slams. With a very aggressive game.
Samantha Cook, 32, (Britain)
One of the biggest talents coming out of Europe in recent times. She is known for a highly technical game and bringing her A game to the table as always.
Kendall Reusing, 22, (USA)
Another young gun ready to explode in the big leagues. The Californian resident is a powerhouse in the -95kg division. Her duels with Pessanha have been highlights in the Grand Slams.
Martina Gramenius, 32, (Sweden)
Already a two-time Grand Slam champion in the current season. Gramenius won golds in the 70kg, in both in Moscow and Tokyo, to earn a spot in the inaugural Queen of Mats.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
How to help or find other cats to adopt
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin