Lawmakers press Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on privacy

<p>United States Sen. Richard Blumenthal and other legislators faced off with Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.&nbsp;</p>

News 12 Staff

Apr 11, 2018, 1:16 AM

Updated 2,349 days ago

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United States Sen. Richard Blumenthal and other legislators faced off with Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
The meeting focused on how Facebook collects data and uses it to deliver targeted advertisements. Specifically, the joint hearing of the Senate judiciary and commerce committees questioned Zuckerberg about Cambridge Analytica's access to user information. The scandal allegedly exposed data on 87 million user of the social media network.
Lawmakers were looking to determine whether new laws will be passed to regulated social media.
Sen. Blumenthal was one of Zuckerberg's biggest critics. He believes Facebook violated federal trade agreements when it allowed an app developer access to users' information.
Investigators say that information was used to influence politics overseas and in the United States.
Blumenthal is pushing for new laws that would make privacy agreements more explicit.
"Unless there are specific rules I have no assurance," Blumenthal said.
Zuckerberg took an apologetic approach but also fought back against some attacks.
"There's a very common misperception about Facebook that we sell data to advertisers," Zuckerberg said. "And we do not sell data to advertisers."
The Facebook founder also assured lawmakers that there will always be a free version of Facebook and their mission will always be to connect people and bring the world closer together.
Zuckerberg will testify before House lawmakers Wednesday.