Mark Zuckerberg “We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can’t then we don’t deserve to serve you.” (File Photo)
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg broke his silence Wednesday afternoon, days after his social media site was accused of data abuse. Facebook’s data scandal, data mishandling, or whatever you want to call it has caused all kinds of controversy over privacy issues.
Blockchain to the rescue?
Zuckeberg has now broached the idea of integrating blockchain technology into Facebook’s online platform. Which begs the question -- how, if at all, it can the technology help prevent the kind of debacle that Facebook and its users are going through now?
It’s not exactly an original argument but it is certainly a compelling one. Blockchain, goes the theory -- because it's decentralized -- will allow us to control and share our data instead of giving it over to a potentially duplicitous and mendacious middleman, be that the house seller, the bank or indeed Facebook?
“Security isn't a problem that you ever fully solve," Zuckerberg said Wednesday night. "We're going to be working on this forever, as long as this community remains an important thing in the world.”
The world learned this week that an estimated 50 million Facebook profiles were mined for data by an outfit called Cambridge Analytica. On Wednesday, Zuckerberg issued apologies and vowed to work to prevent such happenings from happening again.