Mark Zuckerberg

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Mark Zuckerberg born May 14, 1984 is co-founder, chairman and CEO of social media platform Facebook and its parent company Meta Platforms Inc..

Professional Background:

1. Privacy Violations and Data Exploitation

FaceMash and Data Theft:

Zuckerberg stole private photos from Harvard’s databases without consent to create FaceMash, a site for rating classmates’ attractiveness.

News Feed Privacy Rollback (2006):

Facebook changed privacy settings to make user data (names, photos, friends lists) public by default, forcing users to navigate complex opt-out processes.

Beacon (2007):

An opt-out system that shared users’ purchases from third-party sites without clear consent. This led to lawsuits and a $9.5 million settlement.

Cambridge Analytica Scandal:

Allowed third-party apps to harvest data from millions of users without consent. Facebook delayed suspending the involved parties for years despite early warnings.

2. Deceptive Business Practices

Harvard Connection Scam:

Zuckerberg misled the Winklevoss twins and Divya Narendra, pretending to work on their social network (Harvard Connection) while secretly developing Facebook.

Exploitation of Early Investors:

Eduardo Saverin, who invested $20,000, was diluted to 10% ownership via legal loopholes. Paul Ceglia was similarly misled about Facebook’s viability to buy back his stake cheaply.

3. Unethical Experiments

Emotional Contagion Study (2012):

Facebook manipulated users’ feeds to test if emotions could be influenced en masse, without informed consent. This demonstrated a disregard for user well-being.

4. Monetization of User Data

Data Access for Advertisers:

Internal emails revealed discussions about charging developers for API access, effectively tying data to financial incentives. Companies like Netflix and Lyft received preferential data access in exchange for ad spending.

Anti-Competitive Practices:

Restricted competitors (e.g., Twitter’s Vine) from accessing friend graph data to stifle competition.

5. Marginalized Groups Harmed

Real-Name Policy:

Forced domestic violence survivors, sex workers, and LGBTQ+ users to risk exposure by using legal names, endangering their safety.

Lack of Empathy in Design:

Ignored feedback from marginalized communities (e.g., Zuckerberg’s bafflement when a gay journalist expressed privacy concerns).

6. Toxic Corporate Culture

“Move Fast and Break Things” Mantra:

Prioritized rapid growth over ethical considerations, leading to features that harmed user privacy and mental health.

Employee Reviews and Quotas:

Pressure to meet short-term metrics encouraged reckless decisions, like pushing engagement-driven features without safety reviews.

7. Misleading Public Relations

Faux Humility:

Zuckerberg cultivated a “down-to-earth” image (e.g., $1 salary, Volkswagen GTI) while spending lavishly on private jets and avoiding accountability.

Gaslighting Critics:

Dismissed privacy concerns as “evolving social norms” and framed data exploitation as “connecting the world.”

8. Political and Social Manipulation

Spread of Misinformation:

Facebook’s algorithm prioritized inflammatory content, contributing to election interference (e.g., 2016 U.S. election) and genocide facilitation (e.g., Myanmar Rohingya crisis).

These practices collectively highlight a pattern of prioritizing profit, control, and growth over user rights, safety, and ethical responsibility. Zuckerberg’s leadership fostered a culture where anti-consumer behavior was systemic.

Stance on Consumer Rights

This section is incomplete.

Major Consumer Protection Incidents

Cambridge Analytica Data Scandal

Former Cambridge Analytica employee, Christopher Wylie, leaked internal documents to journalists demonstrating uninformed consent of personal data collection of up to 87 million Facebook profiles for political advertising purposes through Facebook's Open Graph Platform and Facebook Application "This is Your Digital Life" developed by data scientist Aleksandr Kogan at Global Science Research. The appropriated Personal Data was used in the US 2016 Presidency for Ted Cruz's and Donald Trump's campaigns.

Deceptive Marketing: Incomplete. .

Data Collection: Incomplete. .

Stance on Privacy

This section is incomplete.

A leaked messenger conversation from the early days of Facebook in Harvard exemplifies his disregard for the privacy of others:

ZUCK: yea so if you ever need info about anyone at harvard

ZUCK: just ask

ZUCK: i have over 4000 emails, pictures, addresses, sns

FRIEND: what!? how’d you manage that one?

ZUCK: people just submitted it

ZUCK: i don’t know why

ZUCK: they “trust me”

ZUCK: dumb f***

(expletive edited because this Wiki software's spam protection does not seem to approve of his way of expression)

A photo of Zuckerberg revealed in 2016 that he keeps his own laptop camera covered with tape.

Regulatory Response

This section is incomplete.

Current Status

This section is incomplete.

Impact on Consumer Protection

This section is incomplete.