I believe we don't want an internet that is out of control, where anything goes. And we don’t want an internet that is too tightly controlled, where people can’t express themselves. I believe we want an internet where people can speak up without spreading hate. Where communities can come together without interference or abuse. Where everyone can access the benefits of technology and know their privacy is protected. This is a critical question we face right now – because based on everything we have learned so far, this is when we will help set the right boundaries for the internet. Doing this well will take all of us working together – people, governments, the tech industry – so that we can determine what kind of future we’re building.

You have critics from many corners right now: There is Apple CEO Tim Cook who uses every possibility to attack Facebook and Google to differantiate the company he runs. Then there are activists like Jaron Lanier, who published the book “Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now”. How do you respond to them?

Every day, Facebook helps people connect with friends and family, build community, and find and offer social support. The last time I was in Germany, I met Uwe, who started a Father’s Facebook Group that now has 25,000 members. A few months ago, one of the dads urgently needed a bone marrow donation, but the German donation bank had no matches. The Group encouraged its members to register as donors and a last-minute match was found that saved the man’s life. There are so many stories like these.

There are other stories as well, that are not driven by helping each other.

A recent survey of people on Facebook shows that 72 percent of people in groups in Germany say Facebook helps them find common ground with people they might not otherwise interact with. We will continue working to create supportive communities for everyone. We will also continue supporting the people who use our apps to create opportunities. There are 90 million businesses on Facebook – over 21 million here in Europe – the vast majority of which use our services for free. More than half of small businesses on Facebook in Europe have been able to hire more people due to growth in demand from using our services, making us one of the largest job creation platforms in the world. At the same time, people have raised questions about our business model. They worry about privacy given that our business is advertising...

...and many people argue privacy and your business model can’t go hand in hand.

Showing people relevant ads and protecting their privacy are not at odds. We do both. We don’t sell people’s data or share personal information with advertisers without permission. Here's what we do: we use information in a privacy-safe way to allow advertisers to reach people who might be interested in their products. This helps make sure people see more relevant ads for things they might actually be interested in. It also helps small businesses that can't afford to buy broad reach media like TV ads or billboards reach people in a way that historically only large companies could. And most importantly, this model allows us to provide our services for free, which is key to connecting people everywhere.