What did Mark Zuckerberg say in his Congress testimony and did the Facebook CEO address the Cambridge Analytica data leak?
FACEBOOK'S Mark Zuckerberg has faced a grilling from Congress in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
Here's what the billionaire CEO said during his appearance and how he addressed the privacy breach which has engulfed his social network in controversy.
What did Mark Zuckerberg tell Congress?
Mark Zuckerberg gave his first testimony in a joint hearing with the Senate Judiciary and Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committees on Tuesday, April 10.
The Facebook CEO apologised for data breaches in his opening statement saying: "It was my mistake, and I'm sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I'm responsible for what happens here."
He was quizzed over Russia's interference in elections and the spread of false information via fake accounts.
Zuckerberg said the company had improved its tools to stop the so-called "bad actors", but told Congress: "This is an arms race – they're going to keep getting better."
And he vowed to audit suspicious apps - which can be used to scrape users' personal data - saying: "We believe that we’re going to be investigating many apps – tens of thousands."
The intense grilling started early, with Democratic senator Bill Nelson telling Zuckerberg: "If Facebook can't fix the privacy invasions then we're going to have to."
Pressed on what Facebook are doing to prevent influence on US elections, Zuckerberg said it was "one of my main priorities for 2018."
The 33-year-old said that the social network's record has improved in the past two years and added: "We've deployed new AI tools that do a better job."
Zuckerberg answered criticism of Facebook's vague online data policy saying most people would not read a "long legal document".
He said: "It's pretty much impossible to start a company in your dorm room and grow at the rate we have and not make mistakes.
"Overall I would say we're going through a broader philosophical shift in how we view the company."
He said he had taken down 470 fake accounts spreading fake information during US elections, but said the number of overall fake accounts removed was in the tens of thousands.
The CEO said they have removed "tens of thousands" of accounts before they could do harm, but warned it is an "arms-race".
He vowed not to add a fee for using Facebook but hinted users may have to eventually PAY to keep their information private.
Democrat Senator Bill Nelson asked him: “I am going to have to pay you, in order not to send me - using my personal information - something I don’t want?”
Zuckerberg replied: “Yes senator.”
He added there would "always be a version of Facebook that is free."
Zuckerberg is attending a second hearing with the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday, April 11, after an audience of millions tuned in to stream his DC appearance.
What was the Cambridge Analytica data scandal?
Zuckerberg's Congress hearing was sparked by the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which the data of an estimated 87 million Facebook users was harvested by a third-party app.
This data was then passed on to the London-based firm, which counts Donald Trump's presidential campaign among its past clients, during the 2016 US Election.
Cambridge Analytica has disputed Facebook's estimate of the number of affected users, which includes more than a million users in the UK.
The data analysis firm's London offices have since been searched by police amid concern over its work.
The alleged breach came to light thanks to a whistleblower called Christopher Wylie, a former director of research at the firm.
After the scandal unfolded, Zuckerberg acknowledged that he made a "huge mistake" in failing to take a broad enough view of what Facebook's responsibility is in the world.
If you're worried that your info may have been swiped in the breach, you can instantly check by heading to the dedicated page on .
What did Mark Zuckerberg say about Cambridge Analytica?
Zuckerberg told Congress that his own data was obtained by Cambridge Analytica amid Facebook's latest breach.
The Facebook founder made the revelation in response to a tough round of questioning from Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, who represents Silicon Valley (where Facebook is based).
Esho said: "Was your data included in the data sold to the malicious third parties? Your personal data?”
To which Zuckerberg replied "yes".
The public profile info was snatched by a rogue personality quiz app created by UK-based academic Aleksandr Kogan, who then flogged it to Trump-affiliated firm Cambridge Analytica.
Zuckerberg was also asked if Facebook was planning legal action against Kogan or Cambridge Analytica.
He responded "we're looking into it".
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What is Mark Zuckerberg's net worth?
Mark Zuckerberg was named the fifth richest person in the world in Forbes' 2017 annual list, with an estimated net worth of $69.7billion.
Forbes list him as having a net worth of $66bn - £46bn - on April 11, 2018.
According to Bloomberg, that figure soared to a peak of about $79billion by the start of February – but slumped by $15billion following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
The tech giant and his wife Priscilla are known for their charitable donations and have pledged to give away 99 per cent of their Facebook shares during their lifetimes.