On April 10, 2018, weeks after the Cambridge Analytica story broke, Mark Zuckerberg appeared before a joint session of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees. Nearly forty senators took a turn at him. He began by reading a statement.
The opening
ZuckerbergBut it's clear now that we didn't do enough to prevent these tools from being used for harm as well. That goes for fake news, foreign interference in elections, and hate speech, as well as developers and data privacy. We didn't take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. It was my mistake, and I'm sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I'm responsible for what happens here.
ZuckerbergSo now we have to go through every part of our relationship with people and make sure we're taking a broad enough view of our responsibility.
ZuckerbergIt's not enough to just connect people, we have to make sure those connections are positive. It's not enough to just give people a voice, we have to make sure people aren't using it to hurt people or spread misinformation. It's not enough to give people control of their information, we have to make sure developers they've given it to are protecting it too. Across the board, we have a responsibility to not just build tools, but to make sure those tools are used for good.
ZuckerbergIt will take some time to work through all of the changes we need to make, but I'm committed to getting it right.
[Hearing transcript, April 10, 2018, opening statement of Mark Zuckerberg.]
Hatch
Senator Hatch, who chaired the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force, went back to a promise Zuckerberg had made on Capitol Hill eight years earlier.
HatchNow, Mr. Zuckerberg, I remember well your first visit to Capitol Hill back in 2010. You spoke to the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force, which I chair. You said back then that Facebook would always be free. Is that still your objective?
ZuckerbergSenator, yes. There will always be a version of Facebook that is free. It is our mission to try to help connect everyone around the world and to bring the world closer together. In order to do that, we believe that we need to offer a service that everyone can afford, and we are committed to doing that.
HatchWell, if so, how do you sustain a business model in which users do not pay for your service?
ZuckerbergSenator, we run ads.
HatchI see. That is great. Whenever a controversy like this arises, there is always a danger that Congress' response will be to step in and overregulate. Now, that has been the experience that I have had in my 42 years here.
[Hearing transcript, April 10, 2018, questioning by Sen. Hatch.]
Graham
Senator Graham wanted to know whether a Facebook user unhappy with Facebook had anywhere else to go.
GrahamIs there an alternative to Facebook in the private sector?
ZuckerbergYes, Senator. The average American uses eight different apps----
Zuckerbergto communicate with their friends and stay in touch with people----
Grahamsame service you provide? Is----
ZuckerbergWell, we provide a number of different services.
GrahamIs Twitter the same as what you do?
ZuckerbergIt overlaps with a portion of what we do.
GrahamYou do not think you have a monopoly?
ZuckerbergIt certainly does not feel like that to me.
GrahamOK. So it does not. So Instagram, you bought Instagram. Why did you buy Instagram?
ZuckerbergBecause they were very talented app developers who were making good use of our platform and understood our values.
[Hearing transcript, April 10, 2018, questioning by Sen. Graham. The transcript records laughter after the answer on monopoly.]
Graham moved from competition to the alternative, which was Congress.
GrahamIt was a good business decision. My point is that one way to regulate a company is through competition, through government regulation. Here is the question that all of us got an answer. What we tell our constituents, given what has happened here, why we should let you self-regulate? What would you tell people in South Carolina that, given all the things we have just discovered here, it is a good idea for us to rely upon you to regulate your own business practices?
ZuckerbergWell, Senator, my position is not that there should be no regulation.
ZuckerbergI think the Internet has increased the importance----
GrahamDo you embrace regulation?
ZuckerbergI think the real question, as the internet becomes more important in people's lives, is what is the right regulation, not whether there should be regulation.
GrahamBut you as a company welcome regulation?
ZuckerbergI think if it is the right regulation, then yes.
GrahamDo you think the Europeans have it right?
ZuckerbergI think that they get things right.
GrahamThat is true. So would you work with us in terms of what regulations you think are necessary in your industry?
ZuckerbergAbsolutely.
GrahamOK. Would you submit to us some proposed regulations?
ZuckerbergYes, and I will have my team follow up with you, so that way we can have this discussion across the different categories where I think that this discussion needs to happen.
[Hearing transcript, April 10, 2018, questioning by Sen. Graham.]