The meeting between Parliament leaders and Facebook CEO Zuckerberg left many questions unanswered and the need for more concrete action to ensure against another Cambridge Analytica type of scandal, said EPP Group Chairman, Manfred Weber. The EU’s new Data Protection Law coming into force on Friday is a major step forward, but more action will be needed, Weber added.
Unanswered questions had to do not only with the Cambridge Analytica Scandal and Weber is not the only EU Parliement Group President that thinks this way. In general, the explanations given by Facebook’s founder and CEO were considered not enough.
Zuckerberg met yesterday with the European Parliament Conference of Presidents, but did it behind closed doors with live broadcasting through Facebook. Zuckerberg’s testifying before the US Congress was not only broadcasted, but open to the public.
The format chosen for the meeting was first raising the questions by the EU Parliament Presidents and then Facebook’s CEO answered the questions in themed groups.
EU Group Presidents, specially the Dutch Guy Verhofstadt(Leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) and Jan Philipp Albrecht -(Greens/EFA, DE), Data protection rapporteur showed their disappointment as Zuckerberg didn’t especifically answer some key questions such as:
a) The competition issue (complyance with EU anti trust regulations)
b) Wether Facebook can assure that it will not allow users data sharing between Facebook and other apps like Whatsap or if it crosses Facebook users’ data and Whatsap users’ data.
c) Will you allow users avoid targetted ads?
One of the EU Parliament Group Presidents asked if there’s any way for a person who is not a Facebook user to address communications/posts on Facebook that dammage his/her reputation or constitute the illegal use of his/her personal data on the Social Network.
Zuckerberg replied: “as a platform we are commited to protect our user’s rights”
But there’s something that the founder of Facebook made clear, that his company and platforms will be fully complyant with the new GRDP (new regulation on Personal Data Protection), but not before 2025.
At the end, Mark Zuckerberg got commited to provide a written answer for all the questions that were not specifically answered.
Image over the headline.- Mark Zuckerberg meets EU Parliament President Antonio Tajani and the political group chairpersons in the European Parliament in Brussels. He attends the Conference of Presidents of the Political Groups of the European Parliament. The meeting included the participation of the President and Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. © European Parliament.
Related Eastwind links:
Zuckerberg’s answers at the meeting with EU Parliament Presisents Commission (full video)- below, the timing for each answer-
Zuckerberg’s answer on how is Facebook addressing the inappropriate content (terroism, bulling, etc.) (01 min)
Zuckerberg’s answer on how is Facebook addressing the fake news issue (4:05 min)
Zuckerberg’s answer on misuse of Facebook users’ dat to influence political elections (7:19 min)
Zuckerberg’s answer on its dominant market position (competition issues) (10:20 min)
Zuckerberg’s answer on tax evasion (12:54 min)
Zuckerberg’s answer on complyance with the GRDP (new EU Personal Data Protection Regulation): Facebook expects to be fully complyant by the year 2025 (13:42 min)
Zuckerberg’s answers on political bias (15:46 min)
Zuckerberg’s anwers on the reduction of the viewability of public content shared on Facebook such as news, etc(16:38 min)
Zuckerberg’s answers on the Cambridge Analityca issue (19:38 min)
Related eastwind marketing links:
Facebook, launching first tool to enhance users’ privacy protection after data security breach scandal
Facebook ends 1stQ with users increase but ad revenues down against 4thQ 2017
Facebook scandal leads Cambridge Analytica to lock out by bankrupcy
