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Facebook once again asks users if it's 'good for the world'

Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook again put out a poll to gauge how people feel about the platform.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter
Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
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Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook is asking users if it's "good for the world."

 Getty

Following a series of controversies over the past few weeks, Facebook sent out a poll asking users if they think the social networking platform is "good for the world," the Associated Press reports. 

The poll was sent to an unspecified number of people and appeared under the heading, "We'd like to do better" after users log in. Participants can choose answers ranging from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree." 

The question comes as Facebook continues to grapple with a data scandal involving UK consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica, which allegedly misused information from the social network in the 2016 presidential campaign. It also took heat last week for a leaked memo that appears to champion a culture of aggressive growth. 

This isn't the first time Facebook has asked users this poll question. It's been putting out the survey periodically since 2015 as it deals with a series of controversies. It recently asked users the same question in February, as it faced mounting criticism over possible meddling by Russian operatives during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Investors and former executives were also condemning the platform's psychological side effects, such as addiction. 

Facebook has also been accused of spreading "fake news" and misinformation, which some say helped elect President Donald Trump. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who initially said that claim was "crazy," later shared the company's plan to get rid of false information on the site. In January, Zuckerberg said he was committed to fixing Facebook this year.

In response to a request for comment on the poll, a Facebook representative said: "We've been doing these surveys since 2015 and this one specifically is not a new question. 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."

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First published April 3 at 10:53 a.m. PT.
Update, 11:47 a.m. PT: Adds comment from Facebook.