时间:2025-08-02 16:46:26 来源:网络整理编辑:焦點
When you're the head of a company as scandal prone as Facebook, it's perhaps difficult to keep track
When you're the head of a company as scandal prone as Facebook, it's perhaps difficult to keep track of all your varying and grotesque missteps.
Even so, Mark Zuckerberg's claim at Wednesday's House antitrust hearing that he didn't remember paying teens to spy on them is truly one for the record books. At issue was Facebook's late 2018 and early 2019 use of an app to track teen smartphone usage in exchange for a measly $20.
First reported by TechCrunch, the app — dubbed "Facebook Research" — was brought up by Democratic Congressman Henry Johnson of Georgia. After asking about Onavo, a VPN app owned by Facebook that reported on users' activity and was forced out of the App Store, Congressman Johnson pressed Zuckerberg on his company's next step.
"After Onavo was booted out of the App Store you turned to other surveillance tools such as Facebook Research app," began the congressman. "And also isn't it true, Mr. Zuckerberg, that Facebook paid teenagers to sell their privacy by installing Facebook Research app?"
Again, to be super clear, the congressman was referencing what, as recently as January of 2019, was a decent sized scandal.
"Congressman, I'm not familiar with that," stammered Zuckerberg, "but I think it's a general practice to be able to, um, that the companies used, to have different surveys and to understand data from how people are using different products and what their preferences are."
The idea that Mark Zuckerberg would not remember his company paying teens to siphon up their smartphone data is, frankly, ludicrous. The scandal drew in Senator Mark Warner, and forced Facebook to respond in writing to a series of detailed questions about its practices.
One of Zuckerberg's lawyers likely reminded the suddenly forgetful CEO of this, as later in the day he took a moment to correct the record.
SEE ALSO: Zuckerberg awkwardly insists his email about buying Google 'sounds like a joke'
"In response to Congressman Johnson's question before I said that I wasn't familiar with the Facebook Research app when I wasn't familiar with that name for it," he awkwardly backtracked. "But I just want to be clear that i do recall that we used an app for research and it has since been discontinued."
Glad to hear your memory is suddenly working again, Mark.
TopicsCybersecurityFacebookPrivacySocial Media
You can now play 'Solitaire' and 'Tic2025-08-02 16:31
Rejected penguin has found new outlook on life with cutout of anime character2025-08-02 16:08
Even the White House doesn't know what Ivanka Trump does2025-08-02 15:33
Security researcher says he's figured out how to decrypt WannaCry2025-08-02 15:30
Whyd voice2025-08-02 15:22
Fox News retracts Seth Rich story2025-08-02 14:47
How the soccer world mourned the Manchester attack2025-08-02 14:41
5 Game of Thrones spinoff ideas we had in case HBO is interested2025-08-02 14:40
Photos show the Blue Cut fire blazing a path of destruction in California2025-08-02 14:23
All the outlandish things Trump said in his commencement speech for the Coast Guard2025-08-02 14:14
This chart shows just how high Simone Biles can jump2025-08-02 16:44
Why it's finally time to dump Apple Photos for Google Photos2025-08-02 16:39
Surprise! Fans are as obsessed with the 'Twin Peaks' revival as the original2025-08-02 15:56
There are now more people on this Chinese platform than on Twitter2025-08-02 15:56
Uber's $100M settlement over drivers as contractors may not be enough2025-08-02 15:42
People are pretending to have 'missing friends' after the Manchester attack2025-08-02 15:11
One of ‘Destiny’s most iconic abilities won’t be coming back2025-08-02 14:50
People are pretending to have 'missing friends' after the Manchester attack2025-08-02 14:47
Florida hurricane forecast remains uncertain, but trends in state's favor2025-08-02 14:47
Detachable cut2025-08-02 14:06