In a prepared testimony ahead of Wednesday’s hearing before the US Congress, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg admitted that the social network didn't do enough to prevent its tools from being used for harm.

Facebook has faced a storm of criticism globally over its failure to prevent the misuse of user data and for violating the privacy and safety of users as well as subverting democracy after news surfaced that it shared information with third party companies such as Cambridge Analytica.

“We didn't take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake," he said. "It was my mistake, and I'm sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I'm responsible for what happens here.”

Zuckerberg said Facebook is now improving the way it protects people's information and safeguard elections around the world.

In 2014, the company dramatically restricted the amount of data that developers can access and to proactively review the apps on the network, he said, adding that it is also removing developers' access to user data if they haven't used their app in three months.

Here are the other steps, according to Zuckerberg:

Facebook is also reducing the data that users give an app when they approve it to only their name, profile photo, and email address.

Developers are required to not only get approval but also to sign a contract that imposes strict requirements in order to ask anyone for access to their posts or other private data.

Facebook is also restricting more APIs like groups and events. Users should be able to sign into apps and share public information easily, but anything that might also share other people's information — like other posts in groups they're in or other people going to events you're going to — will be much more restricted.

Zuckerberg said two weeks ago, the company found out that a feature that lets users look someone up by their phone number and email was abused. “This feature is useful in cases where people have the same name, but it was abused to link people's public Facebook information to a phone number they already had. When we found out about the abuse, we shut this feature down.”

First Published:Apr 9, 2018 9:41 PM IST