Zuckerberg: One of My Greatest Regrets Is that We Were Slow in Identifying Russian Meddling

RUSH TRANSCRIPT FEINSTEIN Thank ░░░░░░░░ Mr Chairman Mr Zuckerberg ░░░░░░░░ is Facebook doing to ░░░░░░░░ foreign actors from interfering ░░░░░░░░ U S elections ZUCKERBERG ░░░░░░░░ you senator This is ░░░░░░░░ of my top priorities ░░░░░░░░ 2018 to get this ░░░░░░░░ One of my greatest ░░░░░░░░ in running the company ░░░░░░░░ that we were slow ░░░░░░░░ identifying the Russian information ░░░░░░░░ in 2016 We expected ░░░░░░░░ to do a number ░░░░░░░░ more traditional cyberattacks which ░░░░░░░░ did identify and notify ░░░░░░░░ campaigns that they were ░░░░░░░░ to hack into them ░░░░░░░░ we were slow in ░░░░░░░░ the type of new ░░░░░░░░ operations FEINSTEIN When did ░░░░░░░░ identify new operations ZUCKERBERG ░░░░░░░░ was right around the ░░░░░░░░ of the 2016 election ░░░░░░░░ So since then 2018 ░░░░░░░░ an incredibly important year ░░░░░░░░ elections Not just with ░░░░░░░░ U S Midterms but ░░░░░░░░ the world there are ░░░░░░░░ elections in India in ░░░░░░░░ and Mexico and Pakistan ░░░░░░░░ in Hungary that we ░░░░░░░░ to make sure that ░░░░░░░░ do everything we can ░░░░░░░░ protect the integrity of ░░░░░░░░ elections Now I have ░░░░░░░░ confidence that we re ░░░░░░░░ to get this right ░░░░░░░░ since the 2016 election ░░░░░░░░ have been several important ░░░░░░░░ around the world where ░░░░░░░░ ve had a better ░░░░░░░░ There s the French ░░░░░░░░ election There s the ░░░░░░░░ election There was the ░░░░░░░░ S Senate Alabama special ░░░░░░░░ last year FEINSTEIN Explain ░░░░░░░░ is better about the ░░░░░░░░ ZUCKERBERG We ve deployed ░░░░░░░░ A I Tools that ░░░░░░░░ a better job of ░░░░░░░░ fake accounts that may ░░░░░░░░ trying to interfere in ░░░░░░░░ or spread misinformation And ░░░░░░░░ those three elections we ░░░░░░░░ able to proactively remove ░░░░░░░░ of thousands of accounts ░░░░░░░░ before they could contribute ░░░░░░░░ harm and the nature ░░░░░░░░ these attacks though is ░░░░░░░░ there are people in ░░░░░░░░ whose job it is ░░░░░░░░ try to exploit our ░░░░░░░░ and other Internet systems ░░░░░░░░ other systems as well ░░░░░░░░ this is an arms ░░░░░░░░ They re going to ░░░░░░░░ on getting better at ░░░░░░░░ and we need to ░░░░░░░░ in keeping getting better ░░░░░░░░ this too Which is ░░░░░░░░ one of the things ░░░░░░░░ mentioned before is we ░░░░░░░░ going to have more ░░░░░░░░ 20 000 people by ░░░░░░░░ of the year working ░░░░░░░░ security and content review ░░░░░░░░ the company FEINSTEIN Speak ░░░░░░░░ a moment about automated ░░░░░░░░ that spread disease information ░░░░░░░░ are you doing to ░░░░░░░░ those disinformation What are ░░░░░░░░ doing to punish those ░░░░░░░░ exploit your platform in ░░░░░░░░ regard ZUCKERBERG Well you ░░░░░░░░ not allowed to have ░░░░░░░░ fake account on Facebook ░░░░░░░░ content has to be ░░░░░░░░ So we build technical ░░░░░░░░ to try to identify ░░░░░░░░ people are creating fake ░░░░░░░░ Especially large networks of ░░░░░░░░ accounts like the Russians ░░░░░░░░ In order to remove ░░░░░░░░ of that content After ░░░░░░░░ 2016 election our top ░░░░░░░░ was protecting the integrity ░░░░░░░░ other elections around the ░░░░░░░░ But at the same ░░░░░░░░ we had a parallel ░░░░░░░░ to trace back to ░░░░░░░░ the I R A ░░░░░░░░ the Internet the part ░░░░░░░░ the Russian government that ░░░░░░░░ this activity in 2016 ░░░░░░░░ just last week we ░░░░░░░░ able to determine that ░░░░░░░░ number of Russian media ░░░░░░░░ that were sanctioned by ░░░░░░░░ Russian regulator were operated ░░░░░░░░ controlled by this Internet ░░░░░░░░ agency So we took ░░░░░░░░ step last week it ░░░░░░░░ a pretty big step ░░░░░░░░ us of taking down ░░░░░░░░ news organizations in Russia ░░░░░░░░ part of an operation ░░░░░░░░ remove 270 fake accounts ░░░░░░░░ pages part of their ░░░░░░░░ network in Russia that ░░░░░░░░ actually not targeting international ░░░░░░░░ as much as I ░░░░░░░░ sorry let me correct ░░░░░░░░ It was primarily targeting ░░░░░░░░ misinformation in Russia itself ░░░░░░░░ well as certain Russian ░░░░░░░░ neighboring countries FEINSTEIN How ░░░░░░░░ accounts of this type ░░░░░░░░ have taken down ZUCKERBERG ░░░░░░░░ in the I R ░░░░░░░░ Specifically the ones that ░░░░░░░░ ve pecked pegged back ░░░░░░░░ the I R A ░░░░░░░░ can identify the 470 ░░░░░░░░ the American elections and ░░░░░░░░ 270 that we specifically ░░░░░░░░ after in Russia last ░░░░░░░░ There were many others ░░░░░░░░ our systems catch which ░░░░░░░░ more difficult to attribute ░░░░░░░░ to Russian intelligence But ░░░░░░░░ number would be in ░░░░░░░░ tens of thousands of ░░░░░░░░ accounts that we remove ░░░░░░░░ I m happy to ░░░░░░░░ my team follow up ░░░░░░░░ you on more information ░░░░░░░░ that would be helpful ░░░░░░░░ Would you please I ░░░░░░░░ this is very important ░░░░░░░░ you knew in 2015 ░░░░░░░░ Cambridge analytica was using ░░░░░░░░ information of professor Cogen ░░░░░░░░ why didn t Facebook ░░░░░░░░ Cambridge in 2015 Why ░░░░░░░░ you wait FEINSTEIN That ░░░░░░░░ a great question Cambridge ░░░░░░░░ wasn t using our ░░░░░░░░ in 2015 as far ░░░░░░░░ we can tell So ░░░░░░░░ is clearly one of ░░░░░░░░ questions that I asked ░░░░░░░░ team as soon as ░░░░░░░░ learned about this Why ░░░░░░░░ we wait until we ░░░░░░░░ out about the reports ░░░░░░░░ month to ban them ░░░░░░░░ s because as of ░░░░░░░░ time that we learned ░░░░░░░░ their activity in 2015 ░░░░░░░░ weren t an advertiser ░░░░░░░░ weren t running pages ░░░░░░░░ we had nothing to ░░░░░░░░ FEINSTEIN:”Thank you.”