Facebook scandal: 87 million users' data shared
‘it was people’s responsibility to decide how to use FB tools’: Zuckerberg
San Francisco: Facebook believes the data of up to 87 million people was improperly shared with the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica -- many more than previously disclosed.
The BBC has been told that about 1.1 million of them are UK-based.
The overall figure had been previously quoted as being 50 million by the whistleblower Christopher Wylie, BBC reported on Wednesday.
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg said "clearly we should have done more, and we will be going forward".
During a press conference he said that he had previously assumed that if Facebook gave people tools, it was largely their responsibility to decide how to use them.
But he added that it was "wrong in retrospect" to have had such a limited view.
"Today, given what we know... I think we understand that we need to take a broader view of our responsibility, that we're not just building tools, but that we need to take full responsibility for the outcomes of how people use those tools as well," he said.
Zuckerberg also announced an internal audit had uncovered a fresh problem. Malicious actors had been abusing a feature that let users search for one another by typing in email addresses or phone numbers into Facebook's search box.
As a result, many people's public profile information had been "scraped" and matched to the contact details, which had been obtained from elsewhere.
"It is reasonable to expect that if you had that (default) setting turned on, that in the last several years someone has probably accessed your public information in this way," Zuckerberg said.
The estimates of how many people's data had been exposed were revealed in a blog by the tech firm's chief technology officer, Mike Schroepfer.
BBC has also learned that Facebook now estimates that about 305,000 people had installed the This Is Your Digital Life quiz that had made the data-harvesting possible. The previously suggested figure had been 270,000.
About 97 per cent of the installations occurred within the US. However, just over 16 million of the total number of users affected are thought to be from other countries.
Facebook has faced intense criticism after it emerged that it had known for years that Cambridge Analytica had collected data from millions of its users, but had relied on the London-based firm to self-certify that it had deleted the information.
Cambridge Analytica said it had bought the information from the creator of the This Is Your Digital Life app without knowing that it had been obtained improperly.
During Zuckerberg's press conference, Cambridge Analytica tweeted it had only obtained data for 30 million individuals -- not 87 million -- from the app's creator, and again insisted it had deleted all records.
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Israel, US goals 'identical'; prepared for any scenario: Netanyahu
Jerusalem (PTI): Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel and the US share "identical goals" in the ongoing conflict with Iran.
The Israeli prime minister on Wednesday said the US has been keeping Israel updated on its contacts with Iran and reiterated that both nations seek the removal of enriched material, an end to Iran’s enrichment capabilities, and the reopening of key maritime routes.
"Our goals and those of the United States are identical: We want to see the enriched material removed from Iran, we want to see the cancellation of enrichment capabilities within Iran, and of course, we want to see the opening of the straits," Netanyahu said in a statement.
"It is too early to say how this matter will end, or even how it will progress. In anticipation of the possibility that fighting may resume, we are prepared for any scenario," he said, referring to the fragile two-week ceasefire between Iran and US-Israel set to end on April 22.
As Israeli forces and the Shi'ite Lebanese group Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire, Netanyahu said the military continues to strike militant targets while standing by residents in northern Israel.
"I stand by the residents of the north who are continuing to stand firm. At the same time, our forces are continuing to strike Hezbollah," he said.
Referring to ongoing operations in Bint Jbeil, a key Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon, Netanyahu said Israeli forces were close to overcoming the area, which has long been considered a symbol of the group’s resistance since the 2006 war.
Bint Jbeil was the capital of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu said he has instructed the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to widen the security zone in southern Lebanon and extend it eastward toward the slopes of Mount Hermon to "better assist our Druze brothers in their time of distress".
Netanyahu also confirmed that unprecedented negotiations were underway with Lebanon, facilitated by the United States, marking a significant development as the two countries do not have formal diplomatic relations.
"In the negotiations with Lebanon, there are two central goals: first, the disarmament of Hezbollah, and second, (achieving) a sustainable peace," he said.
Meanwhile, the IDF outlined key conditions for any agreement, including establishing a buffer zone up to the Litani River free of Hezbollah presence, retaining operational freedom, and initiating a long-term disarmament process under US supervision.
Despite the ongoing negotiations, the Israeli army has continued with its operations and has not been instructed to prepare for a ceasefire.
IDF Spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin said forces are actively engaged across southern Lebanon, with five divisions supported by air power.
“We continue to operate at all times, deepening achievements and striking Hezbollah terrorists,” he said.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir stressed that the military remains on high alert and continues to approve operational plans in both Lebanon and Iran.
