The results of an 18-month investigation into Facebook are out, and they're far from flattering.
The UK Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS) has published a lengthy report containing strong criticism of the social media giant, accusing it of deliberate privacy law violations.
In response, Facebook's UK public policy manager, Karim Palant, expressed support for "effective privacy legislation that upholds high data usage standards and user transparency." He also mentioned substantial changes made to the company's political advertising policies.
Here's a look at some of the most scathing comments about Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook from the report:
The report suggests that the documents it acquired raise questions about Facebook's involvement in anti-competitive practices. These documents, stemming from a California court case involving Facebook and developer Six4Three, include private emails from top Facebook executives, including Mark Zuckerberg.
The documents also reveal discussions among Facebook executives about data sharing policies and Facebook's use of the VPN app Onavo to monitor WhatsApp and Snapchat.
From the report:
Parliament had particularly harsh words for Mark Zuckerberg, who demonstrated "contempt" for the investigation.
Additionally, UK officials were dissatisfied with the Facebook executives who responded to their inquiries: CTO Mike Schroepfer and Vice President of Public Policy for Asia-Pacific, Simon Milner. According to the report:
"We are left in no doubt that this strategy was deliberate."
"We are left in no doubt that this strategy was deliberate." Facebook employed a strategy of sending witnesses whom they deemed to be the most suitable representatives but who had not been adequately briefed on vital issues. These witnesses either could not or chose not to answer many of our questions. Subsequently, they promised to follow up with letters, which predictably failed to address all of our questions. We are under the impression that either Simon Milner and Mike Schroepfer intentionally provided misleading information to the Committee or they were deliberately kept uninformed by senior Facebook executives about the extent of Russian interference in foreign elections.
The report extensively discusses the Cambridge Analytica scandal, emphasizing that Facebook could have averted the entire incident by "fully complying" with its own 2011 settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission [source].
Incidentally, Facebook may face a record-setting multibillion-dollar fine from the FTC, which initiated an investigation into the social network following initial reporting on the Cambridge Analytica issue: The Cambridge Analytica scandal was facilitated by Facebook's policies. Had Facebook fully adhered to the FTC's settlement, the scandal might not have occurred. The 2011 U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Complaint concluded that Facebook had failed to safeguard user data and allowed app developers unrestricted access to user data. The FTC's complaint further stated that Facebook's corporate structure facilitated data abuses. When asked about Facebook's failure to act on the FTC's complaint, Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham stated, "I am very disappointed that Facebook, being such an innovative company, could not have put more focus, attention, and resources into protecting people's data." We share her disappointment.
Once again referencing the Six4Three documents, the report alleges that Facebook prioritized its profits above all else, including the security of its users' data.
The viability of Facebook's ad-driven business model has also been a topic of discussion among U.S. lawmakers, though Facebook has repeatedly defended it. According to the report, UK officials believe that Facebook may lose the trust of its users unless significant changes are made.