Current Facebook Status: Complicated

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Lauren Zou

With the constant slew of Mark Zuckerberg memes on everyone’s instagram feed, the Facebook hacking scandal has caught the attention of the world. Around mid-march, Cambridge Analytica—which declared bankruptcy on May 2— procured lots of data and millions of Facebook users’ info without their consent in an attempt to sway elections. As a political consulting firm with connections to supporters of President Donald Trump, Facebook has also recently been under scrutiny for Russian interference with the 2016 Presidential elections.

Once this scandal came to light, it opened the floodgates to many revelations about Facebook. It’s been reported that people opening Facebook on Android devices discovered that Facebook collects texts and call histories. As well, it is reported that 87 million people had their data recorded by Cambridge Analytica. Raising questions about people’s safety and privacy on social media, this scandal has caused CEO Mark Zuckerberg to take action. With a new privacy policy, Facebook will now limit the amount of info an app can access, be more upfront with its users, and remove the option to search for users via email address or phone number.

Congress recently called Zuckerberg to hearings where that questioned Facebook’s role in the 2016 Presidential elections, the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and the privacy of this social media platform. Zuckerberg has apologized for the scandal, has confirmed an investigation to find more info on the Russian hacking, and has spoken about his new policy updates.