I was inspired to write this poem about Mark Zuckerberg, the Founder and CEO of Facebook in response to the news story this week that a company called Cambridge Analytica took data from Facebook members and used it to target people with the aim of influencing the 2016 US presidential election and the UK Brexit referendum result.

I wrote a full account of what happened in the media for my work at Corinium Global Intelligence here.

My poem is called “Dear Mr Mark Zuckerberg…Do Not Give Away Our Data”

Dear Mr Mark Zukerberg
Why did you give our data away?
We are all as mad as hell about it
And we didn’t even have a say

You say you are a scapegoat
That you didn’t know what was going on
You must now stand up and be counted
And tell us where it all went wrong

You are the king of social networking
They even made a film about you
You think it is okay to give away our data
And do whatever you like as if on cue

But this latest scandal is beyond a joke
It really does beggar belief
To think that you just gave away our data
It fills me with such grief!

I want control over my Facebook data
I don’t want it given away
I wish Mr Zuckerberg you had considered all this
And now you will have to pay

We are all addicted to Facebook
When our phones beep we jump
To see what status updates await us from our friends
But you sharing our data is as welcome as a lump

I could just delete my account
And not use Facebook again
But the reality is you have “Zuckered” us all in
I would lose much more than I would gain

So Dear Mr Mark Zuckerberg
I hope you understand when I say
You have seriously crossed the line
And I don’t want my data given away!