Facebook and Privacy

Good morning everyone, we are here today because we would like to talk about important issues that we have come across recently and to answer any questions that you may have. Before we get started, I would like to take the time to introduce myself and my team. My name is Llanette Garcia and I am the Chief of Communications for Facebook, Pedro Mares is the Chief of Security, Emily Wilkinson is the Director of Public Relations and Jimmy Patel is the Vice President of Communications.

The important issues we have come across recently involve privacy and democracy. We are currently working hard to address these issues but before I talk about that, I want to talk about how we got here.

Facebook’s top priority has always been to connect people and build community. It gives people a voice, it helps people stay connected and helps businesses grow. Our job as the provider of such tools is to make sure that they are being used for good, not harmful purposes. Facebook has helped social movements thrive, it has helped people and organizations raise money to support those who need it. For example, over 20 million dollars were raised for relief after Hurricane Harvey because people were able to come together on Facebook to make this possible. It also allows people to share certain information and it is our job to ensure that the information is not mishandled.

In 2014 we adapted our rules to limit developers’ access to user data, but it soon became evident that we did not do enough, especially because of what happened with Cambridge Analytica. It is also believed that Facebook was used by foreign entities to interfere with our 2016 presidential elections with the spread of fake news.

Here is a list of steps we are taking to address these issues of privacy and the spread of fake news. We have been working with governments around the world to do a full audit of what Cambridge Analytica did to ensure that they get rid of all the data they may still have. We are also investigating all apps that have had access to user data in the past. If any app used data improperly, they will be banned from Facebook and asked to notify anyone affected.

We have created partnerships with outside fact-checking organizations that will indicate when news articles are false and made changes on our platform to make it easier for users to flag content that may be fake. We have also made changes to our advertising practices to stop purveyors of fake news from profiting on our site.

Our top priority has always been to build community and connect people, advertisers and developers will never be our top priority which is why we are taking these steps. We are committed to fighting against the spread of fake news and to limit developers’ use of data to protect users’ privacy. On that note, we would like to thank you for having us here today and we are now ready to take your questions.

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