Facebook Runs UK, US Newspaper Ads Apologising for Data Scandal

Advertisement
By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 26 March 2018 11:03 IST

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg took out full-page ads in nine major British and US newspapers on Sunday to apologise for a huge data privacy scandal.

"We have a responsibility to protect your information. If we can't we don't deserve it," he said.

The ads ran in prominent positions in six British nationals, including the best-selling Mail on Sunday, The Sunday Times and The Observer - which helped break the story - as well as the New York Times, Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.

Advertisement


Zuckerberg explained there was a quiz developed by a university researcher "that leaked Facebook data of millions of people in 2014".

"This was a breach of trust, and I'm sorry we didn't do more at the time. We're now taking steps to make sure this doesn't happen again," he said.

The ad reflects public statements Zuckerberg made last week after the row prompted investigations in Europe and the United States, and sent Facebook's share price plunging.

Advertisement

He repeated that the social media giant had changed the rules on apps so no such data breach could happen again.

"We're also investigating every single app that had access to large amounts of data before we fixed this. We expect there are others," he wrote.

Advertisement

"And when we find them, we will ban them and tell everyone affected."

There was no mention of the British firm accused of using the data, Cambridge Analytica, which worked on US President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

Advertisement

It too has blamed the University of Cambridge researcher Alexsandr Kogan, for any potential breach of data rules

Kogan created a lifestyle quiz app for Facebook which was downloaded by 270,000 people, but allowed access to tens of millions of their contacts.

Facebook says he passed this to Cambridge Analytica without its knowledge. Kogan says he is being made a scapegoat.

 

Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Here's When the Motorola Signature Will Launch in India
  2. Realme P4 Power 5G Will be Launched in India Soon: See Expected Specs
  3. Anantha Streaming Now: All You Need to Know About the Tamil Spiritual Drama
  4. ChatGPT Will No Longer Be Available on WhatsApp
  5. iQOO Z11 Turbo With 200-Megapixel Camera Arrives in China at This Price
  1. NASA Says the Year 2025 Almost Became Earth's Hottest Recorded Year Ever
  2. Wicked: For Good OTT Release: Know When, Where to Watch the Musical Fantasy
  3. Paul McCartney: Man on the Run OTT Release: When, Where to Watch the Biographical Music Documentary
  4. Civilization VII Coming to iPhone, iPad as Part of Apple Arcade in February
  5. Anantha Streaming Now: Everything You Need to Know About the Tamil Spiritual Drama
  6. Him Is Streaming Online: Know Where to Watch Jordan Peele's Psychological Horror
  7. OpenAI’s Hardware Pivot: Rejecting Apple to Focus on Jony Ive-Designed AI Wearables
  8. iQOO Z11 Turbo Launched With 7,600mAh Battery, 200-Megapixel Camera: Price, Specifications
  9. Silent Truth Is Now Streaming: Know Where to Watch the Japanese Crime Mystery Online
  10. Google Photos App Could Soon Bring New Battery Saving Feature, Suggests APK Teardown
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.