On Wednesday, February 1, Beijing time, local time in the United States, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Mark Zuckerberg) publicly apologized to victims of child sexual exploitation in public during his testimony before Congress: "I am sorry for what you have been through. ”
On Wednesday, Zuckerberg attended a hearing before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee along with five CEOs of social media companies, including TikTok CEO Zhou Shouzi.
They were harshly criticized by U.S. senators from both parties at the hearing, arguing that social platforms must take more legal responsibility when children are harmed. Zuckerberg has been particularly criticized, and this is not the first time he has appeared before Congress.
In 2018, he was questioned by MPs for five hours over a Facebook data breach. Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, put it bluntly: "Mr. Zuckerberg, you have blood on your hands. His speech was met with applause. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri has strongly criticized Meta's sharing app Instagram for failing to protect young users from mental health issues and pornography.
Hawley questioned Zuckerberg at the hearing, demanding that he should compensate victims of online sexual exploitation and apologize directly to the victims' families present. "Let me ask you, there are families of the victims here today. Have you apologized to the victim? Hawley asked, "Do you want to do that now?" They're right here, and you're receiving a national live stream. Are you willing to apologize for what you did to these kind people? Zuckerberg stood up, turned to the parent holding the child victim behind him, and said, "I'm sorry for what you've been through.
It's horrible. Your family should not have to go through what you have suffered. That's why we've invested so much money and continue to make industry-leading efforts......The goal is to ensure that no one is forced to go through the kind of suffering that your family endures. Leah Juliett, a teenage cybersecurity scientist and child survivor who attended the hearing, was mixed after hearing Zuckerberg's apology, but ultimately said the apology wasn't good enough.
As a survivor, it's like what I've been wanting for 10 years," she said, "but the apology is full of excuses and excuses for hurt, and it doesn't feel like a real apology." I don't think I'll ever feel like Zuckerberg or any other CEO is genuinely apologizing unless there's a real change. ”