Althouse: "The majority of the 44 lawmakers questioning Zuckerberg in the joint Senate hearing were not well versed in the workings of Facebook..."

April 11, 2018

"The majority of the 44 lawmakers questioning Zuckerberg in the joint Senate hearing were not well versed in the workings of Facebook..."

"... or how data is shared between platforms, developers and advertisers. The questions generally focused on what Facebook was capable of doing, allowing Zuckerberg to stay in a safe zone of providing the basics.... "

Axios reports.

34 comments:

rehajm said...: Clearly we've learned from the last few days Facebook users are shocked and amazed that Facebook is tracking them. Having Zuck explain the 'basics' of that tracking to an ignorant public in a televised event doesn't sound like a safe zone to me.; 4/11/18, 8:31 AM
Caroline said...: Really it was painful to watch, this ossified stereotype of a tribunal. It seemed like the sole purpose was to provide committee members with a 3 minute soapbox, which they can snippet for campaign commercials. Total. Bullshit.
— except for Ted Cruz, who asked the question I would have asked.; 4/11/18, 8:31 AM
mockturtle said...: Right, Caroline! One senator didn't ask even one question of Zuckerberg. He just pontificated for three minutes. Yes, Cruz is good. I'd definitely want him on my side in a lawsuit.; 4/11/18, 8:39 AM
mccullough said...: The lobbyists write the legislation anyway so Congress and their staffers don’t need to do much or know anything. Facebook’s lobbyists will take care of writing a law here and the Senators and their families will continue to profit off public office.; 4/11/18, 8:44 AM
Mike Sylwester said...: The Democratic Senators wanted to express publicly their outrage that someone in Russia apparently spent tens of thousands of dollars on Facebook ads during the 2016 election campaign.

Mark Zuckerbeg wanted to express publicly his own outrage that someone in Russia apparently spent tens of thousands of dollars on Facebook ads during the 2016 election.

This is what the really smart people in the USA are fussing about.; 4/11/18, 8:47 AM
Hagar said...: If a company charge you for its services or products, you are a customer; if they give you services for free, you are the product.

For us unwashed old fogies, that seems to about sum it up.; 4/11/18, 9:01 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Harnessing facebook is for one party only.; 4/11/18, 9:03 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: "They came to our office in the days following the [2012] election recruiting and were very candid that they allowed us to do things they wouldn't have allowed someone else to do because THEY WERE ON OUR SIDE."

-Carol Davidsen, Obama campaign director

Speaking about how the Obama campaign was allowed full access to Facebook user data for the 2012 election campaign.

NOT ON THE MSM; 4/11/18, 9:13 AM
Nonapod said...: Yesterday's little congress theater once again reinforced one simple truth to me: Almost all our leaders are idiots. It was depressing to watch. It made me almost pity Zuckerberg... almost. But every time I was about to actually feel sympathy for Zuckerberg, he'd start in with some tedious patronizing canned nonsense and I'd be like "Oh yeah, this guy's the worst."; 4/11/18, 9:30 AM
MayBee said...: When everyone thought Zuckerberg was going to run for President in 2020, the big joke was that he would know everyone in America's secrets. So obviously, people know that when they put their secrets on Facebook, they are not really your secrets anymore.
So what's with all the big surprise?

And when does Google get called in? The fact that its only Zuckerberg makes me believe this is just a Democrat tantrum, with perhaps an added bonus that someone doesn't want Zuckerberg to run against them for the Democrat Nomination.; 4/11/18, 9:33 AM
I Callahan said...: This is easily the worst political class in the history of the country. If these senators are that stupid, then there is nothing the big social media giants can't do to give themselves more power.; 4/11/18, 9:35 AM
Matt Sablan said...: That's par for the course, given how well lawmakers were informed about guns, the Internet and whether or not Guam might tip over.; 4/11/18, 9:40 AM
MayBee said...: "Is Facebook committed to protecting our Democracy. Yes or No" A Congresswoman just now to Zuckerberg.; 4/11/18, 9:41 AM
MayBee said...: "Are you willing to change your business model in the interest of protecting individual privacy?" Demands the Congresswoman, outraged.

"I don't know what that means" says Zuckerberg, after trying a different answer and her getting outraged and repeating the question.
These Congresss people are embarrassing.

They keep demanding opt-ins for data sharing, without getting it that Facebook is one huge opt-in.; 4/11/18, 9:43 AM
MayBee said...: Here's what's sad: They have a brilliant tech mind in front of them. A man who made billions off the strength of his own skills and ideas.
Why don't they use the hearing to learn, rather than to hector?; 4/11/18, 9:47 AM
tola'at sfarim said...: The headline seems to imply that they know about all the other stuff they legislate about....; 4/11/18, 10:23 AM
mccullough said...: Zuckerburg is a pussy. Howard Hughes was a titan. He slapped these Congressional assholes around.; 4/11/18, 10:26 AM
Bad Lieutenant said...: He did?; 4/11/18, 11:21 AM
becauseIdbefired said...: With questions that stupid, one has to wonder if the fix was in. Watch Facebook lobbying and donations.; 4/11/18, 12:11 PM
MayBee said...: Am I wrong that campaigns share donor lists and information with other campaigns? In fact, sell donor lists? Give the money donated by one person to one candidate to another candidate entirely? Without specific opt in?

They are such hypocrites.; 4/11/18, 12:26 PM
mccullough said...: Hughes back handed Owen Brewster and his Senate committee. Great stuff. Back when our business titans weren’t hoodie wearing pussies.; 4/11/18, 12:55 PM
traditionalguy said...: The dog and pony act is all distraction to get us focusing on selling some of our data that FB collects to some others that use it.
But Nobody cares. The big
News is that all the data collected about us is for the Governmemt’s Homeland Securitu to use
in Rounding us up for camps. Why ignore the obvious issue?; 4/11/18, 1:14 PM
Michael said...: Never be surprised by the ignorance and lack of curiosity of our elected.; 4/11/18, 2:01 PM
David said...: The House questioners were even worse.

Clown Show.; 4/11/18, 2:04 PM
Phil 314 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/11/18, 2:07 PM
Phil 314 said...: "Hughes back handed Owen Brewster and his Senate committee. Great stuff. Back when our business titans weren’t hoodie wearing pussies."

Back when they were germophobic obsessive compulsives.; 4/11/18, 2:09 PM
Floris said...: Well, during the Obamacare debates, it was clear that the majority of Democratic senators didn't know what insurance was, but that didn't stop them.; 4/11/18, 3:49 PM
Mark said...: Like the do-nothing legislative part of Congress, the oversight and investigation part has become a complete farce.

Not too long ago I was watching a clip of a hearing where Hillary was supposedly "destroyed." In his 15 minutes of time, this congressman asked a total of TWO questions. I'm sure Hillary was happy to sit there without having to ask any questions (that would have exposed her to perjury).; 4/11/18, 7:01 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: The majority of people USING Facebook are not well versed in the workings of Facebook.

If you don't want him to have your data, don't post it on HIS website!

How stupid are people?; 4/11/18, 7:55 PM
Earnest Prole said...: We are doomed.; 4/11/18, 11:17 PM
Kyzer SoSay said...: Obama uses Facebook data without explicit permission of the users ("Suck out the whole social graph . . . " = Brilliant 21st Century tech-savvy campaign to beat those old fogey Republicans.

Trump (possibly - do we know for sure what data his campaign even had, or how it was used) uses Facebook data without explicit permission of the users = Underhanded, despicable, someone must be punished for this, get your gun and meet me at the GOP baseball practice type rage.

Liberalism is a mental disorder. So glad there are commenters here that remind us of that fact almost every day.; 4/12/18, 6:50 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: And as far as lawmakers not knowing how Facebook works, in my opinion if anyone out there really and truly knew how Facebook worked, they'd have abandoned the platform long ago out of personal concern.; 4/12/18, 6:53 AM
JAORE said...: In a rational world:

Overseer: Good morning, Congressman Smith. Today the House is scheduled to vote on "common sense gun control", naming a post office in Centralia, Missouri and a bill on oversight of the internet.

We have three quizzes on these subjects developed by an independent panel (and targeted at the eight grade level). You have two hours to complete the quizzes.

Congressman Smith: There won't be math will there? They promised me no math when I ran for office.

Overseer: No sir. No math.

[Two hours and a few minutes later]

Overseer: Well, Congressman Smith. I have good news. You are eligible to vote on the Post Office issue. And we have remedial reading material on the other two issues so that you may become qualified to vote on them in the future.

Congressman Smith: No thanks, I'm good.; 4/12/18, 8:27 AM
JAORE said...: [Six hours later}

The gun control and internet bills are tabled due to lack of quorum for the 84th time.

The Post Office name, the Centralia Post Office has passed along strict party lines.; 4/12/18, 8:29 AM