Here Are the Questions Congress Should Have Asked Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg spent hours this week testifying before the Senate and Congress, but the questions haven't been exactly great. Not only did Ted Cruz try and derail the conversation by talking about Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey's departure, but Zuckerberg also sat through a series of pointless questions about his time at Harvard.

Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images — (Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

We've decided to reach out to some of the smartest and most-tapped-in journalists to see what your representatives should have asked. Here's what they said:

Casey Newton — Silicon Valley Editor, The Verge

@CaseyNewton

"Should Facebook be allowed to continue to acquire competitive social networks?"

"Why should Congress not require you to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp?"

MORE: 5 Biggest Takeaways From Zuckerberg's Testimony

Matt Novak — Writer, Gizmodo

@paleofuture

"Mr. Zuckerberg, what kind of personal information of yours was sold to third parties?"

"Was the sale of your data limited to just Cambridge Analytica or was it given to other companies?"

"Did you take the personality quiz that led to your data getting stolen or did a friend? And most importantly, what Disney princess did the quiz say you'd be?"

Steve Kovach — Senior Correspondent, Business Insider

@stevekovach

"Do you use the default privacy settings on Facebook?"

"What tools, options, or additional privacy features do you have on Facebook that I don't have?"

Joanna Stern — Personal Technology Columnist, Wall Street Journal

@JoannaStern

"Why did you decide to stop working with data brokers?"

MORE: How to Stop Facebook From Sharing Your Data

Lance Ulanoff — Reporter at Large

@LanceUlanoff

"Can you describe your concept of a simplified and obvious opt-in privacy policy?"

"Are there ways you could envision, aside activating on users data and not including charging members, Facebook could generate enough revenue to continue running a healthy business? If so, what are they?"

Mike Isaac — Reporter, The New York Times

@MikeIsaac

"A.I. seems to be a common response of yours when answering long term questions about how to deal with questionable content. Why do you expect it to take five to ten years to get to an acceptable level to deal with Facebook content, and what will you do in the meantime? Clearly 20,000 contractors won’t be anywhere near adequate."

"Can you define which social media companies you see as Facebook's largest competition? Are they foreign or domestic? And do you see your data collection practices as an advantage to staging off competitors?"

TOPICS

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.