Facebook asks users if it is 'good for the world' as trust wanes

Is Facebook good for the world?

That's what the world's biggest social network is asking some users in a snap poll this weekas the company faces its biggest crisis to date.

When some Facebook users loginto their accounts, a poll appears under the heading "We'd like to do better" with a statement that says"Please agree or disagree with the following statement: Facebook is good for the world."

The reply optionsrange from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree."

I think this is part of their PR campaign ahead ofZuckerberg appearing before [U.S.] Congress.- DanielIves, GBH Insights

While Facebook has asked users for feedback before, the timing of the poll raises questions as the companyfaces mounting pressure from regulators, advertisers and investors overits recent data privacy scandal.

Facebook spokesperson LisaStratton toldCBCNews that the company has been doing these surveys since 2015 and this specific question is not new.

"Like any other company that surveys its users, the information from these surveys helps us hear people's feedback in order to improve their experience on Facebook," she said.

But the pollcomes as the tech giant revealed on Wednesday that the data ofup to 87 million users may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analyticasignificantly higher than the 50 million originally reported.

The London-based political research firm used the data to build psychological profiles that could help its clients includingDonald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign better target theirads.

PR campaign?

While Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that he wants to make sure the social network is a force for good, one market researchersays the timing of the poll is nocoincidence.

"I think this is part of their PR campaign ahead ofZuckerberg appearing before [U.S.] Congress next week to try to show the public that the user community of Facebook arestill strong supporters of the platform," said DanielIves, of GBH Insights.

Ivessays Facebookand Zuckerbergarein a major period of "hand-holding."

"The stock is down 15 per cent-plussince this broke, and we believe Facebook could be stuck in the mud over the next two to three months as itfurther navigates its biggest crisis since becoming a company 14 years ago," he said.

The tech gianthas lost more than $80 billion US in market value since March 16, when news broke about the use of its data by Cambridge Analytica.

Justin Hendrix, executive director atNYC MediaLab, said Facebook executiveshave been paying close attention to their poll numbers andwantto know "how badly its reputation has been dinged."

Facebook is trying to assess"whether its utopian aim of uniting the world's population has been overshadowed by the minutiae of its controversies,"said DanielBader, managing editor ofwebsite Android Central.

'Difficult questions'

Criticism over how the social media companyhas handled the fallout from the data scandal was evident during a conference call that Zuckerbergheld with reporters on Wednesday after heconfirmed that37 million additional user profileswereimproperly accessed.

"We didn't take a broad enough view of what our responsibility was," Zuckerbergsaid. "And that was a huge mistake. That was my mistake."

Zuckerberg was even questioned over whetherhewas still the most appropriate person to lead Facebook.

The company founder maintained thathe was, adding, "Life is about learning from mistakes and working out what you need to do to move forward."

Hendrix said Zuckerberg will likely need to testify to the U.S. Congress on multiple occasionsso lawmakers can understand how to best regulate social media companies.

"I hope congressional leaders will be prepared to ask some difficult questions. In general, we need to understand whether MarkZuckerbergunderstands the costs and dangers of making the world more connected, and whether his company is prepared to protect its users," said Hendrix.

Facing regulations

Meanwhile, Ives,of GBHInsights, said regulation was the worst thing that couldhappen to Facebook.

"There's definitely going to be some regulation.If it's slight to modest, then the Facebook model could absorb it, but if it's moderate to significant heavy-handed regulation, that could potentially change its business model," he said.

"That's why this is a fork-in-the-roadsituation, and the risk profile has definitely increased for Facebook. Their backs are against the wall."

Last month, during an interview on CNN, Zuckerbergsuggested that he was open to regulation, but then quickly added that hewould be looking forthe "right" kind of rules.

Bader said he expects Zuckerberg'sanswers to Congress next week to be "extremely carefully scripted" as he emphasizesFacebook's universal mission to connect the world.

"Facebook is foremost a business and must balance the needs of advertisers with those of its users," he said."While many of the user-facing privacy improvements have been a long time coming, the sheer size of Facebook and the nebulous ways bad actors take advantage of that scale to manipulate people means that the company may never regain the trust of its users."

While Facebook has released the findings of user polls in the past, experts were split over whether it wouldrelease the outcomeof the currentsurvey.

"I think transparency is somethingthat they need to increase rather than decrease," said Ives.