Facebook needs regulation to win user trust, says Mark Zuckerberg

For years, Facebook Inc lobbied governments against imposing tough regulations, warning in some cases that they could harm the company’s business model. Now, its pleading for new rules for the good of its business.

In a white paper published on Monday, Facebook detailed its push for internet regulation, calling on lawmakers to devise rules around harmful content, a different model for platforms legal liability and a new type of regulator to oversee enforcement.

“If we don’t create standards that people feel are legitimate, they won’t trust institutions or technology,” Facebook’s Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said in an op-ed in the Financial Times on Monday. That and the publication of the white paper coincided with a visit to Brussels, home of the European Union institutions that have crafted some of the toughest rules in recent years.