The Latest: Facebook to set up research panel on elections

NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on Facebook’s privacy scandal (all times local):

10:15 a.m.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company is establishing an independent election research commission that will look into the effects of social media on elections and democracy.

The move comes as the social media service grapples with a government report that Russia tried to meddle with the U.S. elections in part by using Facebook. Facebook is also facing one of its worst privacy scandals in its 14-year history after it was revealed a data firm Cambridge Analytica misused data from up to 87 million users. Zuckerberg is preparing to testify before Congress beginning on Tuesday.

In a Facebook post, Zuckerberg said the commission will work with foundations across the U.S. to set up a committee of academic experts who will come up with research topics and select independent researchers to study them.

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6:30 a.m.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is shutting down his Facebook account as the social media giant struggles to cope with the worst privacy crisis in its history.

In an email to USA Today, Wozniak says Facebook makes a lot of advertising money from personal details provided by users. He says the “profits are all based on the user’s info, but the users get none of the profits back.”

Wozniak says he’d rather pay for Facebook. He says “Apple makes money off of good products, not off of you.”

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and Wednesday about the company’s ongoing data-privacy scandal and how it failed to guard against other abuses of its service.

Facebook has announced technical changes intended to address privacy issues.