Saturday on MSNBC’s “Hugh Hewitt,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) warned of the “downsides” of posting personal information on Facebook and how it could be exploited by business and political interests.
Coons told host Hugh Hewitt that Facebook’s business model warranted Congress’ scrutiny.
“Well, I don’t know if I’d say intimidated, but perhaps not clear about some of the risks and the downsides that Facebook poses. Most of us use or enjoy or are familiar with Facebook, and social media, Facebook in particular, has been a remarkable tool to connect people around the world and to bring us together as communities,” Coons said. “But as the investigation into what happened in the 2016 election has continued, there’s been more and more evidence put forth about ways in which Facebook may well be exploiting our positive views of its capacities, and instead using its business model, which involves hoovering up huge quantities of personally identifying data and selling it to other entities. This now raises, I think, more concerns for Americans.”
“That’s why the Senate Judiciary Committee on a bipartisan basis has asked for Zuckerberg, the founder and leader of Facebook, to come and testify April 10 when we’re back in session,” he added.
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