Several hours after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg issued a public apology over the exploitation of user data in the ongoing Cambridge Analytica storm, Facebook’s privacy, safety and advertising policy director Simon Milner had to face a highly fatiguing battle of his own in a special Singapore parliamentary hearing today.
The Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods – Causes, Consequences and Countermeasures kicked off a public hearing at 2pm. Executives from internet giants Facebook, Google, and Twitter were asked to testify before a special committee, a diverse assembly of 10 Members of Parliament (MPs) selected to consider perspectives presented by experts and stakeholders while ruminating plans to battle fake news online.
Prior to today’s hearing, officials from the three global tech giants had already expressed concern about the Singapore government’s potential plan to introduce a new law that targets the threat of fake news.
Facebook’s head of public policy for Southeast Asia Alvin Tan expressed the belief that legislation is not the best approach to addressing fake news, reported The Business Times. Twitter’s director of Public Policy for Asia Pacific Kathleen Ren noted that “no single company, governmental or non-governmental actor, should be the arbiter of truth”.
AFP’s Elizabeth Law and BBC’s Leisha Santorelli attended the hearing, and according to their live updates on Twitter, it was Milner who had a really, really, tough time.
Internet giants Facebook, Google and Twitter are testifying before a special Singapore parliamentary committee on fake news.
This is the first time FB facing a committee since news of data breach broke last weekend
— Elizabeth Law (@lizzlaw_) March 22, 2018
For three whole hours, he was grilled by Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam, who questioned the Facebook executive over the massive user data breach and its exploitation by data analysis company Cambridge Analytica.
Committee member and cabinet minister K Shanmugam has been crossing swords with FB VP for Public Policy in APAC Simon Milner for past 30 minutes, mostly to do with data breach, and Milner’s previous testimony to British Parliament
— Elizabeth Law (@lizzlaw_) March 22, 2018
Shamugam accusing Milner of previously being economical with answers.
— Elizabeth Law (@lizzlaw_) March 22, 2018
Been nearly an hour of exchanges between K Shanmugam and Simon Milner of Facebook, who admitted the company “could have done better”
Starting to sound a bit like a cross-examination. The law minister is a former litigator.
— Elizabeth Law (@lizzlaw_) March 22, 2018
A quick primer on the Cambridge Analytica saga: Cambridge Analytica (CA) is a data-mining and data-analysis firm that participated in American politics and worked for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016. Dr. Aleksandr Logan, a lecturer at the University of Cambridge, created a Facebook app that claimed to be a research tool for psychologists by offering personality predictions to users — it required access to user profiles, locations, preferences, and their friends’ data as well.
Dr. Logan, however, sent the user data he collected to CA without user permission. The misuse of data, bolstered by CA’s microtargetting capabilities, is now suspected of having played significant parts in the American presidential and Brexit elections. President Trump’s infamous former chief strategist Steve Bannon was also reportedly vice president of CA’s board.
The data breach and its possible interference in elections were what Minister Shanmugam crossed swords with Milner about.
A Singapore parliamentary hearing focused on combatting fake news, led by the country’s law minister, has just grilled the head of Facebook’s public policy team, Simon Milner, for more than an hour over the misuse of data by Cambridge Analytica.
— Leisha Santorelli (@BBCLeisha) March 22, 2018
#Singapore law minister K Shanmugam’s questioning of Mr Milner, who is responsible for issues around Facebook’s privacy, safety and advertising policy, comes hours after Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg publicly apologised for a ‘breach of trust’ around the @CamAnalytica scandal.
— Leisha Santorelli (@BBCLeisha) March 22, 2018
This Singapore parliamentary hearing with @Facebook, @Twitter and @Google began at 2pm. There was a 15 minutes break in the middle. It is now nearly 5pm. The entire session has been law minister K Shanmugam questioning Facebook’s policy boss Simon Milner.
— Leisha Santorelli (@BBCLeisha) March 22, 2018
This went on for hours, before Shanmugam finally moved on to the issue of fake news. At some point in time, a seemingly exasperated Milner pleaded for the minister to question someone else. He even appealed to committee chairman Charles Chong, who shot Milner’s request down.
In case you’re still following, still going on. Committee (read: Shanmugam) still on Facebook.
They’ve moved on to other aspects, including whether Facebook would take down falsehoods. FB does not have a policy that everything on platform needs to be true
— Elizabeth Law (@lizzlaw_) March 22, 2018
Midway through parliament and many tense exchanges between Singapore law minister K Shanmugam, a former litigator, and Facebook’s Simon Milner. The latter has just appealed to committee chairman over being singled out in panel that also includes @Twitter and @Google executives.
— Leisha Santorelli (@BBCLeisha) March 22, 2018
So for what must be the fifth time, Milner of Facebook has asked that questions be directed to other members on the panel including executives of @Twitter and @Google.
At one point he even appealed to committee chairman Charles Chong
— Elizabeth Law (@lizzlaw_) March 22, 2018
Committee chairman Charles Chong in response to FB APAC policy chief’s assertion that some of the qns he’s getting is irrelevant:
“Leave it to us to decide what is relevant and irrelevant. If you do not wish to answer the question or don’t know the answer, then you can say so”
— Elizabeth Law (@lizzlaw_) March 22, 2018
Facebook policy boss Simon Milner is being ‘interrogated’ by Singapore law minister at #fakenews parliamentary hearing. Milner just quipped “I apologise if I was intemperate earlier but I do think it would be good to hear from other people… I think we both need a rest”.
— Leisha Santorelli (@BBCLeisha) March 22, 2018
Facebook’s policy boss for EMEA, Simon Milner, told the Singapore parliamentary hearing earlier that he received his local employment pass two days ago. I wonder if he’ll still be keen to take it up now…!
— Leisha Santorelli (@BBCLeisha) March 22, 2018
The highlight of the hearing arrives — Milner is unsure if any Facebook users in Singapore had their personal information leaked to Dr. Kogan and CA.
“We don’t know” Facebook policy boss Simon Milner tells Singapore parliamentary hearing when asked if local users had their data ‘improperly obtained’ by Aleksandr Kogan and @CamAnalytica.
— Leisha Santorelli (@BBCLeisha) March 22, 2018
Instagram and WhatsApp platforms not affected by data leak and “breach of trust” crisis involving Aleksandr Kogan and Cambridge Analytica: Facebook policy boss Simon Milner in Singapore parliamentary hearing
— Leisha Santorelli (@BBCLeisha) March 22, 2018
Facebook says they are trying to find out extent of data leak and which users are affected. “We have a team of forensic auditors… but we were asked to stand down by the UK regulator. Elizabeth Denham is now conducting her investigation so we are limited from doing the same”.
— Leisha Santorelli (@BBCLeisha) March 22, 2018
The hearing is currently ongoing in Parliament, and we’ll update this story as more details emerge.
