Facebook's Zuckerberg Presents 'Privacy-Focused Vision'

Facebook, Inc. FB co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared his "vision and principles" for a privacy-focused messaging and social networking platform in an open Facebook post Wednesday.

What Happened

Facebook and its sister social media platform Instagram represent the "digital equivalent of a town square," Zuckerberg wrote. A shift is underway in which people want social media to become the "digital equivalent of the living room," he said, adding that the company now sees an opportunity to create a "simpler platform that's focused on privacy first."

"I believe the future of communication will increasingly shift to private, encrypted services where people can be confident what they say to each other stays secure and their messages and content won't stick around forever," Zuckerberg wrote. "This is the future I hope we will help bring about."

Why It's Important

Facebook's business model stands in contrast to Zuckerberg's vision of helping personalized and private connections, Recode's Kurt Wagner said in a story. 

Facebook's platforms are all about "broadcasting your life to friends and family, at times connecting with strangers and even brands," he said. 

Nevertheless, Facebook would be-well positioned if it undergoes a complete shift, according to Recode. The company's WhatsApp property alone boasts 1.5 billion monthly users, and Messenger had 1.3 billion users as of 2017.

What's Next

Zuckerberg's post stated there are "a lot more details and trade-offs to work through" over the coming years, and said the company is only in the early stages of a transformation.

"I believe we should be working towards a world where people can speak privately and live freely knowing that their information will only be seen by who they want to see it and won't all stick around forever," he concluded. "If we can help move the world in this direction, I will be proud of the difference we've made."

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