Facebook Getting Grilled In Washington Over Cambridge Analytica Debacle

WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork) -- Representatives from Facebook were expected to face tough questions on Capitol Hill on Thursday morning over its latest scandal about privacy concerns.

The company is under fire after the personal information of millions of users was improperly accessed, CBS2's Mola Lenghi reported.

Congress wants to know how Facebook became a tool, deployed on behalf of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. After days of silence, Mark Zuckerberg, the social network's chief executive, apologized for the way a political consulting firm harvested and used data on 50 million users.

"I'm really sorry that this happened. We have a basic responsibility to protect people's data. And if we can't do that then we don't deserve to have the opportunity to serve people," Zuckerberg said.

The British firm Cambridge Analytica has been accused of using information from a third party, even after assuring Facebook the data would be deleted.

Zuckerberg said it may be time to impose regulations on tech companies, and he promised to investigate apps that access users' information.

"If we detect any suspicious activity, we're going to do a full forensic audit," Zuckerberg said.

MORE: How To Protect Your Personal Data On Facebook

Lawmakers have said they would like to hear from Zuckerberg in person. Even after his apology, some have demanded he appear to explain what happened.

Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey tweeted: "The more we learn, the more this demands answers. You need to come to Congress and testify under oath."

Analysts are calling this Zuckerberg's biggest crisis, and a movement for users to quit Facebook has gathered some steam, Lenghi reported.