Winning back the trust of users could be difficult for Facebook in the wake of its data scandal as more influential business leaders and celebrities speak out against the world’s most popular social network.
Apple CEO Tim Cook surprisingly criticized Facebook on Wednesday saying he would not be in the position that fellow Silicon Valley chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has found himself in.
In an interview with news agencies Recode and MSNBC, Cook said Facebook and others should have curbed their use of personal data to build “detailed profiles of people … patched together from several sources.”
“I think the best regulation is no regulation, is self-regulation,” he said. “However, I think we’re beyond that here.”
Cook’s comments come as more influential business figures and celebrities publicize plans to quit Facebook.
Last week, another high-profile tech CEO, Elon Musk, deleted Facebook accounts for his companies Tesla and SpaceX’s after messaging system WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton pushed for a movement to boycott the social network. WhatsApp was bought by Facebook four years ago for $19 billion US.
Delete Facebook
Yesterday, Cooper Hefner, the son of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, said on Twitter the magazine and its digital business would quit Facebook because the company policies were “contradicting Playboy’s values.”
We are stepping away from Facebook pic.twitter.com/4yFIdk2eDE
Earlier this week, comedian Will Farrell wrote a lengthy post on the social network, explaining his decision to delete his account after 72 hours.
“I am not deleting it immediately, in order to give this message enough time to get across to my fans and followers,” he said. “I can no longer, in good conscience, use the services of a company that allowed the spread of propaganda and directly aimed it at those most vulnerable.”
The post has been shared over 6,000 times and reacted to with Facebook emoticons by 56,000 users.
Other notable celebrities who have quit Facebook in wake of the scandal include singer Cher and actor Jim Carrey.
New Zealand’s privacy commissioner, John Edwards, led by example after criticizing Facebook for breaching the country’s privacy laws by deleting his own account on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, some notable businesses that have pulled advertising from the network include Internet firm Mozilla, computer electronics company Sonos, auto parts retailer Pep Boys and one of Germany’s biggest lenders — Commerzbank.
The growing user backlash against Facebook also comes as government regulatory pressures mount, forcing the company to introduce new measures to protect users’ data.
Facebook announced yesterday that it was cutting ties with several large data brokers that help advertisers target people on the website.