Shona Ghosh

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg personally oversaw a list of "strategic" competitors to the social network, and decided whether to restrict them from accessing valuable user data.

The revelation comes from <a id="99c0296c-ba64-3072-a1e4-f359a718a02e" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-documents-six4three-case-published-british-parliament-2018-12?IR=T?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> a trove of Facebook emails, presentations, and documents </a> published by UK Parliament as part of its ongoing investigation into privacy and disinformation.

The bulk of the emails and documents date from 2012 to 2015 and deal with the way Facebook allowed third-party apps to access friend data through its platform.

One internal document is not dated, but appears to have been written some time before major changes to Facebook's developer platform in 2015. It outlined the upcoming changes to third-party app permissions that would restrict how much data app makers could access.

Read more : <a id="c13763e6-7ebe-3a61-a9f3-9c9fa04b0e41" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-documents-six4three-case-published-british-parliament-2018-12?IR=T?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Secret Facebook documents have just been published by British parliament </a>

In one section, the document states that companies considered to be "strategic competitors" to Facebook were even more restricted in what they could access. It states that Mark Zuckerberg personally reviewed the list of competitors, and either he or another senior executive had to personally sign off any further access to data these companies might want.

According to the document: "Strategic competitors: We maintain a small list of strategic competitors that Mark personally reviewed. Apps produced by the companies on this list are subject to a number of restrictions outlined below. Any usage beyond that specified is not permited [sic] without Mark level sign-off."

Facebook doesn't list out its strategic competitors, though the obvious names to point to at the time might be apps produced by Google or Twitter as well as smaller apps.

A separate email from Zuckerberg, sent in November 2012, discusses how the company could enforce its developer rules against competitors. Specifically, Zuckerberg appears to be worried about social networks that don't permit sharing back to Facebook, such as Chinese chat app WeChat.

He wrote: "First, in any model, I'm assuming we enforce our policies against competitors much more strongly. The good news about full reciprocity [where apps let users share their activity back to Facebook] is that for bigger social companies we might otherwise be worried about, if they're enabling their users to push all of their social content back into Facebook then we're probably fine with them. However, for folks like WeChat, we need to enforce a lot sooner."

In yet another email, <a id="db00031f-3626-3041-a651-85c5d193c97a" href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/facebook-documents-mark-zuckerberg-restricted-vine-data-access-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Zuckerberg personally approved Facebook cutting off Twitter-owned video service Vine </a> from accessing certain friend data.

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<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-considered-selling-access-to-data-because-apple-app-restrictions-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Facebook considered charging companies for access to user data — now Mark Zuckerberg says it was because of Apple's restrictions on iPhone apps</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-defends-secret-facebook-data-sharing-deals-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Mark Zuckerberg defends the leaked Facebook documents he never wanted the world to see: The scrutiny is 'healthy,' but don't 'misrepresent our actions or motives'</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-whats-good-for-world-not-necessarily-facebook-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Internal emails show Mark Zuckerberg saying what's good for the world is not necessarily what's good for Facebook</a> </li></ul>

SEE ALSO: Emails show Mark Zuckerberg personally approved Facebook's decision to cut off Vine's access to data

Facebook documents show Mark Zuckerberg presided over a list of competitors and restricted their access to data (FB)

<ol><li> <a itemtype="link" id="d70d32be-98aa-39c9-a2b7-c4780f8e9897" itemscope="itemscope"> <meta content="https://www.businessinsider.com/canada-arrests-huawei-cfo-at-us-authorities-request-report-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" itemprop="url"/> The chief financial officer of Chinese tech and telecoms giant Huawei has been arrested in Canada at the request of US authorities and faces extradition to the United States </a> . Canadian authorities "provisionally detained" Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, while she was transferring flights in the country. </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-documents-six4three-case-published-british-parliament-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">UK lawmakers used their parliamentary privilege to publish a cache of internal Facebook documents and emails that had been under seal</a> . The documents, which are part of a US lawsuit between developer Six4Three and Facebook, show Facebook's discussions about charging developers for user data in the run-up to 2015. </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-documents-mark-zuckerberg-restricted-vine-data-access-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">The internal Facebook documents published by UK Parliament on Wednesday show that CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally approved the social network's decision to cut off video app Vine from accessing friend data</a> . Other emails show <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-documents-mark-zuckerberg-oversaw-competitor-data-access-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">he oversaw a list of competitors</a> that would be restricted from accessing Facebook data. </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-defends-secret-facebook-data-sharing-deals-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended his firm's internal discussions about making money from developers, and said the company never sold people's data</a> . He added that the documents only show part of the company's discussions at the time. </li><li> <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-05/googlers-write-to-ceo-demanding-equal-treatment-for-contractors">Google workers have written to CEO Sundar Pichai demanding better treatment for contract workers, who do not receive the same benefits at full-time employees</a> . The group of full-time and contract workers wrote an open letter asking that recent changes around sexual harassment policy also apply to temporary, vendor, and contract workers. </li><li> <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/charliewarzel/facebooks-tensions-zuckerberg-sandberg">Facebook's year of misery has split its employees into three different camps — those who support the leadership, those who think the company is in meltdown, and those who dislike media portrayals of the firm</a> . According to BuzzFeed, employees use burner phones to talk about the company's woes. </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mike-lynch-out-darktrace-board-criminal-fraud-charges-autonomy-deal-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">A prominent British investor and entrepreneur, Mike Lynch, has stepped down from the board of promising security startup Darktrace as he faces criminal charges in the US</a> . Lynch is accused of conspiracy and fraud over the $11 billion sale of his software company, Autonomy, to HP in 2011. </li><li> <a href="https://9to5google.com/2018/12/05/google-allo-shutting-down/">Google plans to shut down yet another failed messaging app</a> . Google Allo will go the same way as Google Buzz and Google Wave after failing to gain traction. </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-board-backs-coo-sheryl-sandberg-george-soros-investigation-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Facebook's board has come out in support of COO Sheryl Sandberg, after ongoing media scrutiny over her efforts to investigate billionaire George Soros for his criticism of the company</a> . "When a well-known and outspoken investor attacks your company publicly, it is fair and appropriate to do this level of diligence," the board said. </li><li> <a href="https://venturebeat.com/2018/12/05/russian-internet-giant-yandex-launches-its-first-smartphone/">Russian search giant Yandex has launched its first smartphone, the Yandex Phone, for $270</a> . It's a 5.65-inch Android phone that sports mid-range specs. </li></ol>

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Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Thursday.

10 things in tech you need to know today

<ol><li> . China summoned the US ambassador over the weekend to register its protest at Meng Wanzhou's arrest. </li><li> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/07/technology/huawei-meng-wanzhou-fraud.html">Canadian prosecutors outlined on Friday that Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was accused of fraud, specifically around tricking institutions into transactions that violated US sanctions against Iran, according to the New York Times</a> . Meng spent the weekend in jail and the case continues. </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-building-prototype-test-facility-new-mexico-fcc-filing-aquila-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Facebook is building a "hardware prototype testing facility" to test experimental communications hardware in the New Mexico desert</a> . Earlier this year, Facebook abandoned plans to build autonomous drones that would supply wireless internet to the developing world. </li><li> . According to the Wall Street Journal, Bird is seeking funding at its current $2 billion valuation, while Lime is looking at a valuation substantially below its planned $4 billion. </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jack-poulson-ex-google-says-management-obsessed-with-stopping-leaks-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Google is obsessed with stopping leaks to the media, according to a former employee who spoke out about the firm's intentions to relaunch in China</a> . According to Jack Poulson, Google's focus on leaks is a way to avoid focusing on the issues causing the leaks to begin with. </li><li> . Scott Krulcik was found unconscious on the sixth floor of the company's offices in Chelsea at about 9pm Friday and was pronounced dead by attending emergency services. </li><li> . Goldman's add-on investment brings GitLab's total Series D funding up to $110 million. </li><li> . Users call his Twitter photos and posts from the country "tone-deaf." </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-slams-sec-says-no-one-reviews-tweets-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">TeslaCEOElon Musksaid he has no respect for the Securities and Exchange Commission during a "60 Minutes" interview on Sunday evening</a> . Musk said that no one has reviewed any of his tweets posted since his settlement with the SEC. </li><li> <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-07/softbank-hires-first-female-partner-to-help-manage-vision-fund">SoftBank hired its first female partner to help manage its $100 billion Vision Fund</a> . Kirthiga Reddy was previously an executive at Facebook. </li></ol>

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Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Monday.

The high-profile arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, has thrust the Chinese mobile and telecommunications firm into the Western spotlight.

Most people know Huawei in the US and Europe for its well-produced line of smartphones that firmly compete with Apple's iPhone, Samsung's flagships, and Google's Pixel line.

Now US authorities are scrutinizing the Chinese company, and Meng in particular, for potentially violating its trade sanctions against Iran.

Meng isn't just Huawei's CFO, she's Chinese royalty. Her father, Ren Zhengfei, is the founder and CEO of Huawei and keeps an ultra-low profile despite his reputed massive wealth of $3.2 billion.

According to reports, Ren has been married three times, and produced a brood of sons of daughters, not all of whom are quite so media-shy.

Here's his youngest daughter, Annabel Yao, appearing at a debutante's ball in Paris in November 2018:

Here's a window into the lives of these crazy rich Asians:

<h1> Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei was born in 1944, and came of age just before Chinas Cultural Revolution began. Zhengfei is his first name, as surnames come first in China. </h1>

<h1> Ren was born in Chinas poorest province, Guizhou. He told the BBC in 2015 that he came from a humble background. "We had salt to cook with so we were considered wealthy," he said. </h1>

The BBC show is no longer available, <a id="aadc6cd5-ff74-3a6b-ac1f-7b66d42a8044" href="http://fortune.com/2015/01/22/huawei-ren-zhengfei-davos/"> but you can read a summary here </a> .

<h1> At the age of 30, Ren joined Chinas military as an engineer — a connection that still provokes questions about Huaweis ties to the army and the government. </h1>

He's denied that the Chinese government has ever asked Huawei to spy.

<h1> Around that time, Ren married his first wife, Meng Jun and had a daughter, Meng Wanzhou, in the early 1970s, and a son, Ren Ping. </h1>

<h1> Meng Wanzhou, also known as Sabrina or Cathy Meng, took her mothers surname while a teenager and worked her way up to become Huaweis CFO. She was arrested in Canada in December 2018. </h1>

Little is known about her brother Ren Ping, also known by his mother's surname as Meng Ping, except that he works for a Huawei subsidiary and appears to have little interest in taking over the business his father founded, <a id="f3d62931-f784-3a9b-a10f-0ff0eaa00c83" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/technology/succession-at-huawei-offers-glimpse-into-secretive-firm.html"> according to The New York Times. </a>

<h1> The US authorities feared Meng was involved in covering up links between Huawei and a company that sold Huaweis kit to Iran, violating US sanctions. </h1>

China has reacted furiously to Meng's arrest, demanding the US withdraw its arrest warrant.

<h1> Ren Zhengfei retired from the Chinese army in 1983 at the age of 39, according to his official biography, and after a stint working in oil set up Huawei in 1987. Thats 12 years after its main rival in mobile, Apple, was founded. </h1>

<h1> Huawei has become the biggest electronics brand in China, and Ren Zhengfei is thought to be worth $3.3 billion. </h1>

<h1> Ren also divorced his first wife not long after setting up Huawei, and married Yao Ling. The two had a daughter, Annabel Yao. </h1>

Judging by her Instagram, Yao is a fashionable socialite.

<h1> 21-year-old Annabel Yao lives the life of a Chinese princess, attending the prestigious Harvard to study computer science. Shes also passionate about ballet and fashion. </h1>

<h1> Shortly before her half-sister Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada, Yao was attending a high-fashion debutante ball in Paris. </h1>

<h1> Le Bal des Débutantes is usually attended by children of the super-wealthy and famous. Previous guests include the daughter Ryan Philippe and Reese Witherspoon, and Silvio Berlusconis daughter. </h1>

<h1> Little is known about how Ren spends his wealth, but a Paris Match article outlined the family posing in a luxurious palace in Shenzen built to receive Huawei visitors. According to Paris Match, Annabel Yao persuaded her father to pose in the photoshoot to celebrate her appearance at the debutante ball. </h1>

An arrest, a debutante ball, and 3 marriages: Inside the insane lives of the super rich Huawei dynasty

Popular and controversial YouTuber Logan Paul has joined the ranks of vloggers claiming that the video site is censoring content.

Paul appeared to buy into a theory put forward on Wednesday by fellow YouTuber Daniel "Keemstar" Keem, who suggested that YouTube was deliberately downranking videos tagged "Logan Paul."

Keemstar, who runs a gossipy, YouTube-focused news vlog called DramaAlert, claimed that he posted a video featuring the words "Logan Paul" in the title and tags, and that it received fewer views than normal. The video, he claimed, did better once Paul's name was removed.

Paul wrote in reply: "i hate to say this &amp; i mean i REALLY hate to say this but i think these are facts, pls love me again ."

Here's the exchange on Twitter:

The claim is impossible to prove without input from YouTube, which declined to comment. But a source close to the company said the site doesn't downgrade videos based on specific creators or words.

And there are reasons to take Keemstar's claims with a pinch of salt.

He has proven to be an unreliable source in the past. In 2016, he <a id="92b3cb9f-0f69-36b1-a3fc-9f832ab97c51" href="https://metro.co.uk/2016/01/11/youtuber-tracks-down-runescape-paedophile-online-but-its-the-wrong-guy-5615544/"> falsely accused an elderly online gamer of being a paedophile </a> . Despite a retraction from Keemstar, the elderly gamer received death threats and online harassment thanks to the false accusation.

Read more : <a id="dfb113af-a3b4-389e-a550-85e4a8621c44" href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/ksi-logan-paul-11-million-youtube-boxing-match-2018-8?r=US&amp;IR=T?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> KSI and Logan Paul probably generated up to $11 million with their YouTube boxing match </a>

And YouTube rarely, if ever, "censors" individuals' channels without publicly flagging it. The company <a id="5ddb8351-690a-3c99-aafd-876aa8599000" href="https://www.polygon.com/2018/8/7/17660314/alex-jones-infowars-youtube-freedom-of-speech-censorship"> openly disclosed that it was terminating conspiracy channel InfoWars </a> , for example.

And while YouTube has punished Logan Paul in the past due to his controversial content, it has been open in explaining why.

Paul made headlines at the beginning of this year <a id="51de1712-a103-35f5-a792-fe43a60b7bc9" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-star-logan-paul-apologised-after-filming-a-dead-body-in-japans-suicide-forest-2018-1?r=UK&amp;IR=T?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> for posting a video of himself wandering through a so-called "suicide forest" </a> in Japan and stumbling across a dead body.

YouTube <a id="cf8f2ed9-7f48-318a-a9a1-233f98e64ba3" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-suspended-logan-paul-video-ads-taser-rats-2018-2?r=UK&amp;IR=T?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> dropped him from its preferred ads programme </a> , which gives advertisers access to the top YouTube channels, and delayed the release of his Originals film on the video site. It switched <a id="0c3d0adc-111e-3080-ac36-6f635172ff4c" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-resumes-ads-on-logan-paul-videos-but-hes-still-on-probation-2018-2?r=UK&amp;IR=T?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> ads back on in February </a> . The site also temporarily suspended Paul because of his continued "pattern of behaviour" in his videos, such as tasering dead rats, and <a id="5a320fdd-708a-3776-ab6b-c84203a9b43b" href="https://twitter.com/YTCreators/status/961887633302462465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"> published its decision on Twitter </a> .

None of the above actually got him booted from the site, and Paul's Originals film — a sci-fi movie — appeared on his channel in October this year.

Meanwhile, <a id="d06db86c-7ef6-3dcf-a99c-4b3373622370" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2018/12/03/highest-paid-youtube-stars-2018-markiplier-jake-paul-pewdiepie-and-more/#12462f09909a"> Forbes has just ranked Logan Paul </a> 10th on its annual list of the wealthiest YouTubers, pegging his 2018 earnings at $14.8 million, mostly thanks to merchandise purchases from fans. It was an increase on his earnings of $12.5 million in 2017.

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SEE ALSO: Controversial YouTuber Logan Paul is tanking on views and new subscribers

Logan Paul is buying a theory that YouTube is censoring him

<ol><li> China says that Meng had been arrested without explanation and that could be a "violation of her human rights." </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lyft-reportedly-filed-paperwork-to-go-public-with-an-ipo-in-early-2019-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Lyft on Thursday said it had filed a confidential draft registration statement with regulators to go public, with the expectation that it will float in 2019</a> . It's a big step in what's largely considered to be a race to go public between Lyft and its much larger rival Uber, which is also considering an IPO next year. </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-said-boring-company-product-launch-will-be-on-december-18th-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Elon Musk's tunnelling firm, Boring Company, will hold a product launch on December 18 that will involve more than just a hole in the ground</a> . Musk revealed that beyond just the tunnel, the company will showcase its autonomous transport cars and "ground to car" elevators. </li><li> . The outage was caused by an expired Ericsson software certificate used by European telcos. </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-white-house-to-huddle-with-tech-executives-on-future-of-jobs-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">The Trump administration is meeting Thursday with top tech executives to discuss innovation and the future of jobs</a> . Chief executive officers expected to participate include Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Alphabet's Sundar Pichai, Qualcomm's Steven Mollenkopf and Oracle's Safra Catz. </li><li> <a href="https://tech.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/internet/grab-invests-a-shade-over-100m-in-oyo-in-ongoing-1b-series-e-round/66972722?redirect=1">Asian ride-hailing firm Grab has invested around $100 million in SoftBank-backed hotel startup Oyo, according to The Economic Times</a> . The cash was part of Oyo's ongoing $1 billion funding round. </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-denies-not-telling-temps-youtube-active-shooter-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Google has denied a claim that it didn't tell its contract workers about the active shooter that attacked YouTube's headquarters in April</a> . But one current TVC who worked at a different Google office told Business Insider that she first found out about the shooting on social media about two hours after the incident occurred. </li><li> <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/fcc-chairman-ajit-pai-admits-russian-interference-in-net-neutrality-debate/">FCC chairman Ajit Pai has admitted to Russian interference in the US net neutrality debate</a> . About half a million comments sent to the agency about the debate came from Russian addresses. </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fortnite-maker-takes-on-apple-google-steam-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">"Fortnite" maker Epic Games is taking on the world's biggest players in digital gaming with a new storefront called the Epic Games Store</a> . Epic is offering an attractive incentive to game makers and publishers: an 88% share of profits, which undercuts the industry standard 70-30 split by 18%. </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-watch-heart-monitor-ecg-app-watchos-512-update-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Starting on Thursday, the latest Apple Watch models will be able to take an electrocardiogram (ECG) reading, a kind of heart-rate reading that doctors can use to diagnose heart conditions</a> . The Watch can also now notify you if your heart rate may be irregular, a condition known as atrial fibrillation (AFib). </li></ol>

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Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Friday.

The former head of Britain's domestic intelligence agency GCHQ has said Facebook poses a threat to democracy unless it is "controlled and regulated."

In an interview with the BBC's "Today" programme, Robert Hannigan said Facebook's primary goal was to squeeze every drop of profit from its users' data.

He said: "This isn't a kind of fluffy charity providing free services. It's is a very hard-headed international business and these big tech companies are essentially the world's biggest global advertisers, that's where they make their billions.

Read more : <a id="766a4aea-5944-3d74-a38f-6f8709f63ac6" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-whats-good-for-world-not-necessarily-facebook-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Internal emails show Mark Zuckerberg saying what's good for the world is not necessarily what's good for Facebook </a>

"So in return for the service that you find useful they take your data... and squeeze every drop of profit out of it."

He added that Facebook was "potentially" a threat to democracy if "it isn't controlled and regulated."

"But these big companies, particularly where there are monopolies, can't frankly reform themselves. It will have to come from outside," he said.

Hannigan was head of GCHQ until January 2017. He has since been critical about Silicon Valley firms and their approach to tackling extremism on their networks.

The idea that Facebook is a threat to democracy is an emerging, troubling narrative for the social network, which generally <a id="9bcdd091-da0d-3035-a386-bc2fda3c0bc9" href="https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/sheryl-sandberg-facebook-bring-people-together-good/1444544"> tries to portray itself as a force for good </a> and <a id="d134a2ca-e04f-3d7e-a376-6a2f3c60afa5" href="https://www.axios.com/sandberg-facebook-is-not-a-news-company-1513306146-f9a8df20-48eb-46fb-a0b4-f9874b5928eb.html"> downplays its role as a powerful media platform </a> .

Politicians have woken up to the concept that Facebook, with its population of more than 2 billion users, may be as powerful as governments, and that false information spread on its platform has <a id="60f302ed-e25b-3f08-aaa0-eb9872424d8b" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/03/22/all-the-ways-trumps-campaign-was-aided-by-facebook-ranked-by-importance/?utm_term=.af3811030e78"> the potential to sway elections </a> or bring disaster. The UN said earlier this year that <a id="a559d18b-9cc6-300e-a718-2b8fcce93b80" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-45449938"> fake news spread on Facebook had a "determining role" </a> in fuelling hatred against the persecuted Rohingya minority in Myanmar.

Molly Scott Cato, a European politician who helped fellow lawmakers grill Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at a Brussels hearing in May, told Business Insider at the time: "He's totally out of his depth — he talks about setting Facebook up in college with this homey story and I'm, like, 'Christ, this guy has the fate of European democracy in his hands and he doesn't know what to do.'"

Hannigan's criticism was prompted by the release of <a id="85b97675-7b38-3b18-aa20-85ed4411a97d" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-documents-six4three-case-published-british-parliament-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> a cache of internal Facebook documents by UK Parliament </a> on Wednesday, which appeared to show the internal deliberations of Facebook around <a id="55e2650f-fb42-3bb1-a6eb-477ce4436864" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-data-10-cents-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> the value of user data </a> , discussions about violating their privacy on Android, and <a id="8e7b8bd4-41f9-302c-a2de-e7e44ff50dee" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-documents-mark-zuckerberg-restricted-vine-data-access-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> squashing competitors </a> . The documents are part of <a id="284fa59e-fb01-3679-a7bf-bad7a0062b53" href="https://www.recode.net/2018/11/29/18118369/facebook-six4three-lawsuit-explained-pikinis-sealed-documents"> a legal case against Facebook </a> brought by developer Six4Three in the US.

But Facebook said the documents are misleading without context. A spokesman said on Wednesday: "As we've said many times, the documents Six4Three gathered for their baseless case are only part of the story and are presented in a way that is very misleading without additional context."

You can read more about the cache of Facebook documents here .

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-documents-show-mark-zuckerberg-is-ruthless-about-growth-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">The Facebook papers are a timely reminder that Mark Zuckerberg is ruthless about making money</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-considered-selling-access-to-data-because-apple-app-restrictions-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Facebook considered charging companies for access to user data — now Mark Zuckerberg says it was because of Apple's restrictions on iPhone apps</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-documents-mark-zuckerberg-oversaw-competitor-data-access-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Facebook documents show Mark Zuckerberg presided over a list of competitors and restricted their access to data</a> </li></ul>

SEE ALSO: The 7 biggest revelations from the huge trove of Facebook emails that just leaked

A former spy boss said Facebook could threaten democracy if it isn't 'controlled'

NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-mars-landing-super-hard-insight-curiosity-mars2020-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="0f65e503-e5a8-3864-aae9-d600c7c9b047"> Why it's so difficult to land a spacecraft on Mars </a>

A prominent British entrepreneur and investor, Mike Lynch, has resigned from the board of one of the UK's most promising unicorn startups after <a id="7eaf1212-c624-3c38-a521-96b5f7a76b69" href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/mike-lynch-the-ex-autonomy-boss-charged-with-fraud-in-the-us-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> being charged with fraud in the US last Friday </a> .

Filings on the UK's Companies House on Tuesday confirmed Lynch's resignation from the board of Darktrace, a cybersecurity startup worth $1.65 billion (£1.3 billion).

The <a id="1d82f9e1-da49-3cb8-a7be-3d85b5d7ee57" href="https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/doc1/035117412638"> criminal charges against Lynch </a> and another ex-Autonomy executive, Stephen Chamberlain, relate to the $11 billion sale of Lynch's software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

A Darktrace spokesman said: "Mike Lynch is a visionary technologist and has been an invaluable advisor and mentor to Darktrace. He offered to step down from the Board so as not to create a distraction for the company, but we remain very grateful for his advice and support."

Lynch was involved with Darktrace through his investment company Invoke Capital, which remains the startup's biggest shareholder with a 41% stake. Business Insider understands Lynch is still active with Invoke Capital, even as he ostensibly distances himself from its most successful portfolio company.

The Telegraph <a id="aa0a2368-c232-3085-a0c5-febc7a0f639a" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2018/12/05/mike-lynchs-start-up-investments-left-lurch-amid-us-fraud-charges/"> reported on Wednesday </a> that Lynch would also step down from the board of another Invoke-funded startup — Sophia Genetics. Furthermore, he resigned last week from his advisory roles with the Royal Society and the UK government's council for science and technology.

A Sophia spokesman confirmed that Lynch would relinquish his board seat at the end of 2018, but said this was unrelated to the US charges. He added: "Mike has been a fantastic supporter and we thank him hugely for his time on the board."

The billionaire is still involved in other British startups funded by Invoke Capital. He will keep his board positions at AI firm Luminance and fraud analysis company Feature Space.

<h1> Lynch is accused of conspiring with fellow Autonomy executives to defraud HP </h1>

Lynch's established position in UK tech scene is under threat after the US Department of Justice filed 14 charges of fraud and conspiracy against him. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, while US prosecutors would also like to see Lynch give up the $815 million he made from the Autonomy sale.

It is expected that the case will go trial, although it isn't clear whether Lynch will travel to the US voluntarily to fight the case or face extradition.

The charges are the latest development in a saga that has dragged on for six years. HP acquired Autonomy in 2011, and shortly afterwards accused its executives of inflating the firm's financial performance, writing down its acquisition by $8.8 billion. Autonomy's executives have always denied the accusations.

Autonomy's CFO Sushovan Hussain was <a id="bb59ae52-9ae9-3a6c-af3c-d67779307c40" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/autonomy-s-former-cfo-sushovan-hussain-convicted-of-fraud-in-hp-deal-1022973599?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> convicted of fraud in April </a> and is awaiting sentencing in the US.

Lynch's lawyers described the charges as a "travesty of justice" and "stale allegations." In a statement last week, they said:

"There was no conspiracy at Autonomy and no fraud against HP for the DoJ to take up. HP has a long history of failed acquisitions. Autonomy was merely the latest successful company it destroyed. HP has sought to blame Autonomy for its own crippling errors, and has falsely accused Mike Lynch to cover its own tracks.

"Mike Lynch will not be a scapegoat for their failures. He has done nothing wrong and will vigorously defend the charges against him."

Lynch has always maintained that HP blamed Autonomy executives for its own botched acquisition and integration process. The US case notes that Lynch, as CEO, had ultimate oversight of Autonomy's finances.

Lynch had been due to fight a civil trial in the UK in March 2019, although it is possible that any US criminal case will delay the British trial.

<h1> Lynchs investment firm and startups say its business as usual </h1>

The future of Lynch's startups and his investment firm in the UK looks unclear, in part thanks to his and colleagues' ties to Autonomy. At the very least, those deep connections could pose a reputational risk.

Invoke Capital's technology lead, Pete Menell, was formerly CTO of Autonomy, while its communications chief Vanessa Colomar had the same job at Autonomy. Andrew Kanter, a non-exec at Invoke, was COO and legal counsel at Autonomy, and holds board positions at Invoke portfolio startups Neurence, Darktrace, and Luminance.

Darktrace itself has even deeper links to Autonomy. Its current co-chief executives, Nicole Eagan and Poppy Gustafsson, held senior positions at both Autonomy and Invoke Capital.

Read more : <a id="a96e4390-7270-3bff-a301-07bbdfd01a0e" href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/the-life-of-mike-lynch-autonomy-hp-2017-5?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> The incredible life of Mike Lynch, the Cambridge academic who sold his search startup to HP for $11 billion </a>

Invoke Capital and Darktrace, the most high-profile of Lynch's current projects, say business is continuing as usual. "It is very much business as usual and there should be no impact on them," a spokesman said. A source close to Darktrace said Lynch hadn't been closely involved with the startup of late, and said the firm continued to do well.

Invoke Capital does not operate like a traditional VC, with a closed pool of funding, and is instead dependent on a number of institutions who stump up capital on demand, as well as some Invoke partners who invest.

A source with knowledge of the matter said Invoke is not dependent on Lynch's finances. Even if the entrepreneur is forced to forfeit his $815 million gains from the Autonomy sale, the company can continue operating as usual with its current undisclosed backers.

The company is registered in the British Virgin Islands and so does not need to file public accounts but, the spokesman said, depends on external investment from unnamed institutions. The company plans to continue its investment activity.

NOW WATCH: <a id="962eb125-8e35-39e2-a707-a54c4d6f05c9" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/diehard-android-user-switches-iphone-xs-2018-10?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> After using Samsung Galaxy phones for 5 years, I made the switch to the iPhone XS </a>

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-battery-replacement-program-december-2018-9?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">If you own an iPhone 6 or later that isn't holding its charge, now is the time to get your battery replaced</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/burger-king-debuts-mcdonalds-whopper-deal-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Burger King is giving away Whoppers for 1 cent — but you have to go to McDonald's to get them</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mike-lynch-the-ex-autonomy-boss-charged-with-fraud-in-the-us-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">British tech billionaire Mike Lynch charged with fraud in the US over $11 billion Autonomy sale</a> </li></ul>

SEE ALSO: British tech billionaire Mike Lynch charged with fraud in the US over $11 billion Autonomy sale

Billionaire investor Mike Lynch has left the board of unicorn cybersecurity startup Darktrace as he faces fraud charges

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