Mark Zuckerberg: Difference between revisions
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==Professional Background== | ==Professional Background== | ||
Zuckerberg is the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other digital services. He launched "TheFacebook" on February 4, 2004, while he was studying psychology and computer science at Harvard University. Facebook, originating as a campus directory to connect Harvard students, expanded rapidly reaching 1 million users within a year becoming the world’s largest social network by 2009. | |||
==Stance on Consumer Rights== | ==Stance on Consumer Rights== | ||
Zuckerberg’s stance on consumer rights is marked by a pattern of reactive concessions under legal pressure rather than proactive protection. | Zuckerberg’s stance on consumer rights is marked by a pattern of reactive concessions under legal pressure rather than proactive protection. In 2002, he hacked Harvard's security system and accessed students I.D. photos to populate FaceMash, which was shut down 3 days later by the Universty. Publicly advocating for limited regulatory reforms, his actions regarding data privacy, antitrust, and civil rights prioritize Meta’s business model over consumer welfare. While he has consistently emphasized user control over privacy settings, his actions and business model reveal a pattern of undermining true data autonomy. | ||
===Public Statements Supporting Consumer Control=== | ===Public Statements Supporting Consumer Control=== | ||
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*2019, he acknowledged Facebook’s poor privacy reputation, but pledged to build a "privacy focused platform".<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Hern |first=Alex |date=March 7, 2019 |title=Mark Zuckerberg's privacy blogpost: what he did and didn't say |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/mar/07/mark-zuckerbergs-privacy-blogpost-what-he-said-and-what-he-didnt |work=The Guardian}}</ref> | *2019, he acknowledged Facebook’s poor privacy reputation, but pledged to build a "privacy focused platform".<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Hern |first=Alex |date=March 7, 2019 |title=Mark Zuckerberg's privacy blogpost: what he did and didn't say |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/mar/07/mark-zuckerbergs-privacy-blogpost-what-he-said-and-what-he-didnt |work=The Guardian}}</ref> | ||
However, these statements often frame control | However, these statements often frame control narrowly focusing on visibility settings rather than limiting Facebook’s own data collection or third-party sharing. | ||
===Actions Undermining Control=== | ===Actions Undermining Control=== | ||
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*Deceptive Practices: The FTC found Facebook violated a 2012 consent decree by misleading users about data sharing. <ref>{{Cite news |last=Rushe |first=Dominic |date=June 12, 2019 |title=Facebook emails seem to show Zuckerberg knew of privacy issues, report claims |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jun/12/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-privacy-emails-report |work=The Guardian}}</ref> | *Deceptive Practices: The FTC found Facebook violated a 2012 consent decree by misleading users about data sharing. <ref>{{Cite news |last=Rushe |first=Dominic |date=June 12, 2019 |title=Facebook emails seem to show Zuckerberg knew of privacy issues, report claims |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jun/12/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-privacy-emails-report |work=The Guardian}}</ref> | ||
AG Racine’s lawsuit accused Zuckerberg of personally enabling policies that exposed user data. <ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=AG Racine Sues Mark Zuckerberg for Failing to Protect Millions of Users' Data, Misleading Privacy Practices |url=https://oag.dc.gov/release/ag-racine-sues-mark-zuckerberg-failing-protect}}</ref> | AG Racine’s lawsuit accused Zuckerberg of personally enabling policies that exposed user data. <ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=AG Racine Sues Mark Zuckerberg for Failing to Protect Millions of Users' Data, Misleading Privacy Practices |url=https://oag.dc.gov/release/ag-racine-sues-mark-zuckerberg-failing-protect}}</ref> | ||
*Opaque Controls: Privacy settings are buried and confusing. As critics note, "Offering tools doesn’t help if they’re hard to find", such as ad-targeting controls are hidden under unrelated menus.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Barrett |first=Brian |date=April 10, 2010 |title=Mark Zuckerberg's Privacy Shell Game |url=https://www.wired.com/story/mark-zuckerbergs-privacy-shell-game/ |work=Wired}}</ref> | *Opaque Controls: Privacy settings are buried and confusing. As critics note, "Offering tools doesn’t help if they’re hard to find", such as ad-targeting controls are hidden under unrelated menus.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Barrett |first=Brian |date=April 10, 2010 |title=Mark Zuckerberg's Privacy Shell Game |url=https://www.wired.com/story/mark-zuckerbergs-privacy-shell-game/ |work=Wired}}</ref> | ||
*Revenue relies on monetizing user data. | *Revenue relies on monetizing user data. | ||
**"Zuckerberg’s Law": He predicted users would share twice as much data yearly, pushing openness over privacy.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> | **"Zuckerberg’s Law": He predicted users would share twice as much data yearly, pushing openness over privacy.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> | ||
**Data Hoarding: Despite GDPR | **Data Hoarding: Despite General Data Protection Regulation(GDPR) style pledges, Facebook resists limits on data collection. Such as opposing regulations that would curb microtargeting.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wheeler |first=Tom |date=2019-04-03 |title=Mark Zuckerberg’s call for internet rules only goes part way |url=https://www.brookings.edu/articles/mark-zuckerbergs-call-for-internet-rules-only-goes-part-way/ |website=The Brookings Institution}}</ref> | ||
==Major Consumer Protection Incidents== | ==Major Consumer Protection Incidents== | ||