The UK-based political consulting firm is accused of using the data of 50 million Facebook members to influence the 2016 US presidential election.

Damian Collins, the chairman of the Commons inquiry into fake news, accused Facebook of “misleading” the committee.

London-based firm Cambridge Analytica denies any wrongdoing.

Mr Collins said earlier in the week that he wanted to hear from Mr Zuckerberg but has now put the request into writing.

In the letter, he says: “It is now time to hear from a senior Facebook executive with the sufficient authority to give an accurate account of this catastrophic failure of process.”

It comes after the UK’s Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said she would be applying to court for a warrant to search the offices of Cambridge Analytica.

The firm insists it followed the correct procedures in obtaining and using data, but it was suspended from Facebook last week.

Facebook shares fell by a further 3% on Tuesday, following a 6.7% drop on Monday which wiped almost $37bn from its market value.

The company will hold an open meeting with its employees later to discuss the matter, tech news website The Verge is reporting.

In the letter, Mr Collins criticised other Facebook executives who had already given evidence to his committee.

“The committee has repeatedly asked Facebook about how companies acquire and hold on to user data from their site, and in particular about whether data had been taken without their consent,” he wrote.

“Your officials’ answers have consistently understated this risk, and have been misleading to the committee.”

Now he wants to hear from a senior Facebook executive “with the sufficient authority”, adding: “Given your commitment at the start of the New Year to “fixing” Facebook, I hope that this representative will be you.”

Mr Collins has asked for a response to his request by 26 March.

UK Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham is investigating Cambridge Analytica over claims it used personal data to influence the US election.

Christopher Wylie, who worked with the company, claimed it amassed the data of millions of people through a personality quiz on Facebook called This is Your Digital Life that was created by an academic.

Facebook said Aleksandr Kogan, who created the personality app from which the data had been harvested, has agreed to be audited, but Mr Wylie – who made the claims about the way the data was gathered and used – has declined.

‘Honey traps’

Channel 4 News has also broadcast hidden camera footage in which Cambridge Analytica chief executive Alexander Nix appears to suggest tactics his company could use to discredit politicians online.

In the footage, asked what “deep digging” could be done, Mr Nix told an undercover reporter: “Oh, we do a lot more than that.”

He suggested one way to target an individual was to “offer them a deal that’s too good to be true and make sure that’s video recorded”.

He also said he could “send some girls around to the candidate’s house…” adding that Ukrainian girls “are very beautiful, I find that works very well”.

Mr Nix continued: “I’m just giving you examples of what can be done and what has been done.”

Channel 4 News said its reporter had posed as a fixer for a wealthy client hoping to get a political candidate elected in Sri Lanka.

However, Cambridge Analytica said the report had “grossly misrepresented” the conversations caught on camera.

“In playing along with this line of conversation, and partly to spare our ‘client’ from embarrassment, we entertained a series of ludicrous hypothetical scenarios,” the company said in a statement.

“Cambridge Analytica does not condone or engage in entrapment, bribes or so-called ‘honey traps’,” it said.

Mr Nix told the BBC’s Newsnight programme that he regarded the report as a “misrepresentation of the facts” and said he felt the firm had been “deliberately entrapped”.

On its website, Cambridge Analytica says it can provide data and insights to “drive your voters to the polls and win your campaign” and says it has played a “pivotal role” in winning US presidential races.

How to protect your data on Facebook

There are a few things to be aware of if you want to restrict who has access to your data.

• Keep an eye on apps, especially those which require you to log in using your Facebook account – they often have a very wide range of permissions and many are specifically designed to pick up your data
• Use an ad blocker to limit advertising
• Look at your Facebook security settings and make sure you are aware of what is enabled. Check the individual app settings to see whether you have given them permission to view your friends as well as yourself.
• You can download a copy of the data Facebook holds on you, although it is not comprehensive. There is a download button at the bottom of the General Account Settings tab. However bear in mind that your data may be less secure sitting on your laptop than it is on Facebook’s servers, if your device is hacked.

You can of course, simply leave Facebook, but the campaign group Privacy International warns that privacy concerns extend beyond the social network.

“The current focus is on protecting your data being exploited by third parties, but your data is being exploited all the time,” said a spokeswoman.

“Many apps on your phone will have permission to access location data, your entire phone book and so on. It is just the tip of the iceberg.”

–

Source: BBC

The post Zukerberg summoned to UK parliament appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

His company has been accused of failing to properly inform users that their profile information may have been obtained and kept by Cambridge Analytica, a data firm widely-credited with helping Donald Trump win the 2016 US presidential election.

Facebook said on Friday it had blocked Cambridge Analytica from Facebook while it investigated claims the London-based firm did not, as promised, delete data that was allegedly obtained using methods that were in violation of Facebook’s policies.

Despite pledging that in 2018 he would “fix” his company, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has managed to avoid engaging with the site’s growing number of critics – instead sending lawyers or policy bosses to various committee hearings.

The 33-year-old’s recent remarks on some of Facebook’s controversies have been communicated in the relatively safe space of a blog post or video message published on his Facebook page.

With the building row over how Facebook data may have been used to fuel highly-targeted political propaganda, several influential figures on both side of the Atlantic this weekend said it was time for Mr Zuckerberg to step up to publicly defend – or at least justify – his creation.

Some called for investigations into whether Mr Zuckerberg’s company may have violated laws governing disclosure of a data breach – and also rules on properly obtaining a user’s consent to collect personal information.

“This is a major breach that must be investigated,” demanded Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

“It’s clear these platforms can’t police themselves. I’ve called for more transparency and accountability for online political ads. They say ‘trust us’.”

She added: “Mark Zuckerberg needs to testify before Senate Judiciary.”

‘High on themselves’

That sentiment was backed by Adam Schiff, the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, which is already investigating social media manipulation in the run up to the 2016 presidential election.

“I think it would be beneficial to have him come testify before the appropriate oversight committees,” he told the Washington Post.

“And not just Mark but the other CEOs of the other major companies that operate in this space.”

On Sunday morning TV, Florida senator and former presidential hopeful Marco Rubio told NBC’s Meet the Press he felt technology companies acted as if they are “above” regulations.

“Their growth has been a lot faster than perhaps their ability to mature institutionally from within on some of these challenges that they’re facing,” he said.

“I think another part about it is sometimes these companies grow so fast and get so much good press, they get up high on themselves that they start to think that perhaps they’re above sort of the rules that apply to everybody else.”

There are a lot of big problems that the big tech companies need to be better at fixing. We have collectively been too optimistic about what we build and our impact on the world. Believe it or not, a lot of the people at these companies, from the interns to the CEOs, agree.

The man in charge of Britain’s investigation into Russian meddling in the democratic process said he too wanted to press Mr Zuckerberg on the issue.

“I will be writing to Mark Zuckerberg asking that either he or another senior executive from the company appear to give evidence in front of the committee as part our inquiry,” said Damian Collins MP.

“It is not acceptable that they have previously sent witnesses who seek to avoid asking difficult questions by claiming not to know the answers.”

Mr Collins also said he would be recalling Cambridge Analytica chief executive Alexander Nix to parliament to answer more questions.

“It seems clear that he has deliberately misled the committee and parliament,” Mr. Collins said.

Cambridge Analytica and Mr Nix have denied any wrongdoing.

In an attempt to get out ahead of a story in the New York Times and Observer newspapers, Facebook made an announcement late Friday night, California time, that it was blocking Cambridge Analytica from using Facebook while it investigated claims the inappropriately-obtained data had not been deleted as promised.

This was followed by remarks from Alex Stamos, the firm’s chief security officer, who wrote and then deleted a series of tweets.

He objected to the word “breach” being used to describe how data from as many as 50 million peoples’ user profiles may have been obtained without explicit user consent.

“I have deleted my tweets on Cambridge Analytica,” he later wrote.

“Not because they were factually incorrect but because I should have done a better job weighing in.”

Christopher Wylie, a Canadian data analytics expert who worked with Cambridge Analytica, revealed how it and its partners harvested data belonging to mostly US voters. Over the weekend, he announced he had been suspended from Facebook.

On top of its initial statement, Facebook on Sunday said it was conducting a “comprehensive internal and external review” into whether the data, gathered via an app created by Global Science Research (GSR), still existed.

GSR was set up by University of Cambridge associate professor Aleksandr Kogan and his colleague Joseph Chancellor. According to the Guardian, Mr Chancellor was given a job at Facebook as a researcher just months after GSR carried out the data-gathering exercise that Facebook now says violated its policies.

Facebook has not commented on the calls for Mr Zuckerberg to appear in front of the several committees expressing a desire to hear from him.

But one analyst warned that this controversy is a direct threat to Facebook’s business model, and therefore Mr Zuckerberg will be expected to put investors at ease, sooner rather than later.

“This has potential to grow into something a lot more onerous,” said Daniel Ives from GBH Insight.

“So he has to get ahead of this storm before it turns into a hurricane.”

–

Source: BBC

The post Zuckerberg pressed to face breach concerns appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The firm said profits were $4.7bn (£3.5bn) in the three months to the end of September, up 80% year-on-year.

Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg told investors the firm’s investments in security would “impact” profitability.

US lawmakers are examining the possible use of the platform for Russian propaganda activities during the 2016 US presidential election.

“We’re serious about preventing abuse on our platforms,” Mr Zuckerberg said. “Protecting our community is more important than maximising our profits.”

Washington hearings

Mr Zuckerberg last year said the idea that fake news on Facebook influenced the election was “pretty crazy”.

On Wednesday, the firm said almost 150 million people may have seen Russian propaganda efforts.

Facebook shared the figure during two days of tense questioning in Washington.

Lawmakers, who are eyeing increased regulation of internet companies, pressed for increased disclosure around political ads, as well as information about how the firm polices false content.

Mr Zuckerberg did not attend the hearing, but he discussed the matter on a conference call with financial analysts.

“What [Russia] did is wrong and we are not going to stand for it,” he said.

“People do not want false news or hate speech or bullying… To the extent that we can eradicate that from the platform, we will create a better product.”

The firm’s general counsel told lawmakers the company was focused on protecting the “authenticity” of activity. But he conceded that it would be a tough task.

Facebook had 2.07bn monthly active users at the end of September, up 16% year-on-year.

Duplicate accounts represent about 10% of those – higher than previous estimates, executives said.

It also had more than six million active advertisers, chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said on a call with investors.

Looking forward

Those advertisers, many of them small and medium-sized businesses, helped lift total Facebook revenue 47% year-on-year to $10.3bn. That included $10.1bn from ads.

The firm said it expected ad prices to increase, driving future growth. But it warned that the pace of expansion had been slowing.

The firm also said it expected expenses to increase between 45% and 60% in 2018.

Facebook said it was investing in security initiatives, new technology and video.

In the Washington hearings, Facebook said 10,000 people were working on the platform’s safety and security and it expected that number to double by the end of 2018.

Many of those people work for “partners”, the firm told analysts. Facebook employed about 23,165 people at the end of September.

The firm said it was also tightening it standards for ads, including those focused on charged political issues.

“We believe that ads are important to free expression… but we will also do our part to elevate the quality of that discourse,” Ms Sandberg said,

Shares in the firm fell about 1.5% in after-hours trade.

–

Source: BBC

The post Facebook ad revenue tops $10bn appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

At a press conference in San Francisco, they said their ultimate goal was to “cure, prevent or manage all diseases by the end of the century”.

The funds will be distributed by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which they created in December 2015.

Tech leaders are increasingly turning their attention to health.

Earlier in the week, Microsoft said it intended to “solve” cancer by using artificial intelligence tools.

Google’s DeepMind unit is working with the NHS to find a way to use computers to more accurately diagnose diseases.

And IBM and MIT announced a tie-up earlier this week to develop AI-based systems that could help clinicians improve the care of elderly and disabled patients.

Even so, the Chan Zuckerberg plan is marked by its ambition.

Biohub projects

Mr Zuckerberg said that at present 50 times more money was spent on treating people who are sick than on curing the diseases that would stop them getting ill in the first place, and added that this needed to change.

He outlined three principles that will guide the couple’s investments:

• to bring scientists and engineers together
• to build tools and technology that advance research
• to grow the movement to fund more science around the world

Ms Chan added that they had already committed $600m to creating a new research centre called the Biohub, which will bring together engineers, computer scientists, biologists, chemists and other innovators.

The Biohub will initially work on two projects.

The first is the Cell Atlas, a “map” that describes the different types of cells that control the body’s major organs.

The second is the Infectious Disease Initiative, which will try to develop new tests and vaccines to tackle HIV, Ebola, Zika and other new diseases.

Mr Zuckerberg predicted that by 2100 the average life expectancy would be beyond 100 years.

But he cautioned that it would take years before the couple’s fund led to the creation of new medical treatments and further time before they could be applied to patients.

Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gates – who has funded his own health research via the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – appeared at the event to praise the announcement.

He described it as “very bold and ambitious” but added that “we desperately need this science”.

Long-term goals

Mr Zuckerberg and Ms Chan announced in December 2015 that they planned to give away 99% of their shares in Facebook to fund good causes following the birth of their daughter.

The organisation’s stated mission is to make long-term investments in work that advances human potential and promotes equality.

They had previously announced investments in education-related start-ups.

One expert said that dealing with all disease was “clearly ambitious” but added that deep-pocketed philanthropists were defined by the fact they could take such risks.

“The Chan Zuckerberg announcement is unusual in size but is in keeping with trends amongst today’s biggest donors who want to achieve transformational change, prefer funding prevention over cure and tend to invest in causes and organisations with which they have prior connections,” commented Dr Beth Breeze, director of the centre for philanthropy at the University of Kent.

“Most donations reflect the ‘philanthropic autobiography’ of the donor and this is no exception.

“Chan is an alumna of the University of California, San Francisco.

“So, the couple will already know and trust the people who will spend the money.

“She is trained as a paediatrician and recently became a mother so is aligning her professional and personal experiences with her philanthropic priorities.”

–

Source: BBC

The post Zuckerberg and Chan aim to tackle all disease by 2100 appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This comes amid growing panic over the spread of the viral haemorrhagic fever, Ebola, in West Africa.

“We are urging all to be wary of handshakes, particularly, at public gatherings in view of the infectious nature of the disease to protect the lives of the people”, said Dr Kwabena Opoku-Adusei, the GMA President, said.

He was speaking at a press conference at Kumasi to highlight precautionary steps people should take to prevent being exposed to the disease.

He encouraged them to wash their hands regularly, consume well-cooked meat and foods and to keep their surroundings clean.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola epidemic in West Africa an international health emergency.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF) is one of numerous Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers. It is a severe, often fatal disease in humans and nonhuman primates (such as monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees).

So far, more than 960 people have died out of the over 1,700 cases reported, this year, from Guinea, Sierra-Leone, Liberia and Nigeria.

The GMA press conference came after an emergency joint meeting it held with the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) and the Ghana Health Services (GHS) to discuss contingency plans to deal with any emergency.

Dr Opoku-Adusei said since there is no known cure for the disease, the only remedy is for the people to be alert and take precautions.

Fever, body aches, and sore throat as that of malaria and typhoid, are seen at the initial stages of Ebola infection.

As the infection progresses, patients experience severe internal bleeding with blood leaking out of their mouth, eyes, ears and the vessels.

Symptoms can begin on four to nine hours or days after infection and the incubation can last up to 21 days.

He, therefore,  advised anyone who shows symptoms to rush to the hospital for prompt attention.

Ebola cannot spread through the air like flu. It is fragile in nature so can be checked with soap solution, detergents and disinfectants.

Getting an infection requires direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood, urine, saliva, sweat, and semen.

Dr Opoku-Adusei appealed to all stakeholders to work together to ensure that Ghana is kept safe from the disease.

He underlined the need for intensification of public education to create the awareness among the people.

The first Ebolavirus species was discovered in 1976, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the Ebola River. Since then, outbreaks have appeared sporadically.

Source: GNA

The post Avoid handshakes to prevent Ebola – GMA warns appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr Frank Serebour told Citi News that although the Ministry of Health was “doing something,” there were still problems that needs to be dealt with.

He added that “the doctors themselves have not been convinced of taking the risk to treat [Ebola patients] should the situation arise”

He believes that “a proper training program and assurances” and not “just equipment” should be made available  to the doctors who he says would be “putting their lives at risk” by treating Ebola patients.

The Government has announced the setting up of treatment centers and training programs for Medical officers in the wake of the outbreak of the Ebola virus in other West African countries.

Over 950 people have died, so far from the disease in Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, with the World Health Organisation declaring the outbreak in West Africa a global health emergency.

The Ghana Health Service announced that all 37 suspected patients in the country who turned up with Ebola-like symptoms  tested negative, meaning Ghana has, as yet, not officially recorded any case of Ebola

Dr. Serebour called on the government “to do more” to ensure that any outbreak of Ebola in the country would be effectively dealt with.

By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Gov’t must do more to fight Ebola – GMA appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.