A report by a British parliamentary committee, which spent months investigating the spread of online political disinformation, has singled out Facebook for “disingenuous” and “bad faith” responses to concerns about the misuse of personal data.
In the report, published online today, the committee concluded that Facebook needs far stricter regulation, with tougher and urgent action required to put an end to the on-going spread of disinformation. The committee has also called for Facebook’s use of user data to be investigated by the UK’s data watchdog.
MPs said that a “radical shift in the balance of power between social media platforms and the people” was needed, and that Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg failed to show “leadership or personal responsibility” over the dissemination of fake news.
The report continued to prove difficult reading for Facebook, particularly with respect to its business model. The committee enquiry into the firm’s use of persona data to further its business interests concluded that Facebook’s business operations are predicated on selling abusive access to users’ data.
“We consider that data transfer for value is Facebook’s business model and that Mark Zuckerberg’sstatement that ‘we’ve never sold anyone’s data’ is simply untrue,” the committee also concluded.
In addition to reproaching Facebook for its lack of action in reducing the spread of disinformation and of providing abusive access to users’ data, the report also outlines in detail how Facebook were un-cooperative with the enquiry, and were, “giving incomplete, disingenuous and at times misleading answers to our questions,” states chair Damian Collins.
The report concludes with a number of recommendations, including the following:
- A compulsory code of ethics for tech companies, overseen by an independent regulator
- The regulator to be given legal powers to launch legal action if companies breach the code
- Social media companies to be forced to take down known sources of harmful content, including proven sources of disinformation
- A call for the ICO to investigate Facebook’s platform practices and use of user data
For a full list of the recommendations, see the report here.
