Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg admitted on Wednesday to “mistakes” and promised improvements after it was revealed that the personal data of millions of users of his social network was used by the British company Cambridge Analytica.
Facebook “made mistakes” and “has more work to do, we need to move faster and make” improvements, he wrote on his personal account on the social network.
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These were his first comments in the scandal that erupted over the weekend when a whistleblower involved in the creation of the UK-based Cambridge Analytica revealed its tactics to the Guardian.
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Cambridge Analytica is accused of collecting information on approximately 50 million Facebook users without consent, which it used in the 2016 campaign, and its CEO Alexander Nix was fired after his boasting was published about using dirty tricks to help politicians.
Zuckerberg acknowledged that he is “responsible for what happens” on Facebook and promised to enable users to better monitor the use of their personal data.
“It is our responsibility to protect your data and if we cannot do that, we do not deserve to serve you,” he wrote.
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He stated that he would personally review applications on Facebook to ensure they do not misuse personal data.
Earlier on Wednesday, Facebook declared itself a victim in the case of the scandal that showed the manipulations used by Cambridge Analytica, a company hired by U.S. President Donald Trump for his 2016 campaign.
Information on 50 million users
Cambridge Analytica is accused of collecting information on approximately 50 million Facebook users without consent, which it used in the 2016 campaign, and its CEO Alexander Nix was fired after his boasting was published about using dirty tricks to help politicians.
In a recording, Nix appears to suggest that his now-former company can distribute fake reports online, hire secret collaborators, and establish fake institutions and websites to collect data.
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He also said that “they can send some girls to the candidate’s house,” adding that Ukrainians are “very beautiful.”
The cross-party committee of British MPs on Tuesday asked Zuckerberg to explain the “catastrophic failure” of his company in protecting personal data.
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Facebook is already the subject of U.S. investigations regarding alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections.
In October, it announced that as many as 126 million users may have seen ads paid for by Russians aimed at influencing U.S. politics.
