Mark Zuckerberg’s private cheat sheet for Tuesday’s Senate hearing wound up online after the Facebook CEO failed to use the proper settings to protect his private data from public eyes.
An Associated Press photographer caught a photo of Zuckerberg’s notes, which he left open on his desk, revealing perhaps more than he had intended to put out there, but what was, at the same time, information he willingly revealed by not actively covering it.
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Among the dozen-odd topics listed on his cheat sheet were: what to say if he was asked about resigning, six bullet points to hit when the topic of Cambridge Analytica came up, and a line to use if anyone attacked the company (It was: “Respectfully, I reject that. Not who we are).
Under the headline “Accountability,” Zuckerberg had outlined five potential responses to questions about terminations or resignations, including what he would say if asked about the possibility of he himself resigning.
“Founded Facebook. My decisions. I made mistakes. Big challenge, but we’ve solved problems before, going to solve this one. Already taking action,” the answer read.
The notes also indicate Zuckerberg really didn’t want to talk about anyone else getting fired. His prepared responses included saying “Not going to throw people under the bus” and “Yes, hold people accountable all the time, not going to go into specifics.”
He also had a line prepared complaining that no one gets mad at Apple for doing the same thing Facebook does: “Lots of stories about apps misusing Apple data, never seen Apple notify people. Important you hold everyone to the same standard.”
The notes were simple, but revealing. Another section regarding Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, a new set of rules to help users have more control over their data, was titled, “GDPR (Don’t say we already do what GDPR requires).”
His notes also referred to the fact that only three percent of Facebook employees are African American and five percent Hispanic.
“Silicon Valley has a problem, and Facebook is part of that problem,” the cheat sheet reads. “Personally care about making progress; long way to go.”
Cover image: AP
