Bill Gates: Internet giants failed to predict Facebook data scandal

Internet giants failed to predict the data privacy issues that have rocked companies such as Facebook (NasdaqGS: FB - news) , Bill Gates has said.

In an interview with Sky News, the Microsoft (Euronext: MSF.NX - news) founder said most technological innovations over the last century faced unforeseen safety problems that had to be overcome.

Facebook has been embroiled in a privacy scandal after it emerged as many as 87 million users of the social network had their data harvested by Cambridge Analytica, a firm working on the Trump 2016 election campaign.

Addressing the scandal, Mr Gates told Sky News: "Cars ended up killing people. Electricity ended up electrocuting people.

"Almost nothing we ever invented is 100% beneficial in figuring out 'ok, how do you deal with the safety issues? How do you deal with licencing issues?'

"We're seeing as this technology becomes so pervasive - even a key tool of communication - there's a lot of regulatory issues that are having to be developed.

"Europe's got a new set of regulations. Companies are going to adhere to those and I'm sure they're going to have to evolve.

"It's a good first step to put consumers in control. The governments have the ability to set the rules and make sure the negative effects are minimised."

Mr Gates, the world's second richest person, has been critical of Brexit but insisted the UK would be at the "forefront" of medical science research after leaving the EU.

"The great scientists are here working out exactly how the R and D money is going to work," he said.

"Scientists are coming from other countries. No doubt the UK is going to be at the forefront of a lot of these medical science issues, whether it's dementia, malaria."

Asked whether he was "over-gloomy" about Brexit, Mr Gates replied: "I'm not a voter in the UK. That was my view.

"You don't get to try the UK with Brexit and without Brexit and compare the two.

"We'll take advantage of the great capabilities here. We'll make sure we're being pragmatic about how things are changing.

"We're very committed to partnering with the UK."

Mr Gates spoke to Sky News after addressing the Malaria Summit in London where Commonwealth leaders pledged to halve malaria cases across member countries within the next five years.

The UK Government has said it will spend £500m a year on malaria over the next three years, while the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will extend its investments by an additional one billion US dollars (£700m) until 2023.