OWNING UP

Zuckerberg to Congress: ‘It Was My Mistake, and I’m Sorry’

The Facebook CEO will testify about his company’s role in the Cambridge Analytica data scandal this week.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will apologize to Congress this week for not "taking a broad enough view of our responsibility," according to a prepared statement released Monday by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Zuckerberg, who will testify before Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday, wrote that it was “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.” “It was my mistake, and I’m sorry,” he added. “I started Facebook, I run it, and I’m responsible for what happens here.” According to Zuckerberg’s testimony, he will give lawmakers a rundown of how the Cambridge Analytica scandal unraveled, and how the company is investigating, auditing, and banning Facebook apps that improperly used data. He will also disclosed that the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency had “120,000 pieces of content” on Instagram through a number of accounts that reached about 20 million people during the 2016 election. Zuckerberg will testify in front of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees on Tuesday and House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday.