Publications
Publications
- June 2018 (Revised June 2018)
- HBS Case Collection
Facebook Confronts a Crisis of Trust
By: William W. George and Amram Migdal
Abstract
The case, “Facebook Confronts a Crisis of Trust,” starts with the crisis Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is facing in March 2018 over Cambridge Analytica’s accessing data from 87 million Facebook accounts in order to influence the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. The case covers Facebook’s advertising business model, the Congressional uproar that follows, the opposing views of Apple CEO Tim Cook, and pending regulations of user privacy. The case provides an opportunity to discuss why Zuckerberg handled the crisis as he did, plus the importance of user trust, the role of the new technology giants in protecting user privacy, and the potential for regulating the treatment of private user information.
Keywords
Facebook; Data Privacy; Data Manipulation; Data Science; Political Campaigns; Political Influence; Voter Mobilization; Voters' Interests; Election Outcomes; Elections; Cambridge Analytica; Mark Zuckerberg; Sheryl Sandberg; Voting; Decision Making; Demographics; Ethics; Geopolitical Units; Government and Politics; Government Legislation; National Security; Political Elections; Information Management; Leadership; Leadership Style; Crisis Management; Social Psychology; Personal Characteristics; Power and Influence; Society; Public Opinion; Technology Industry; United States; United Kingdom
Citation
George, William W., and Amram Migdal. "Facebook Confronts a Crisis of Trust." Harvard Business School Case 318-145, June 2018. (Revised June 2018.)