The UK Parliament has invited Mark Zuckerberg again to give evidence at a committee hearing, after he earlier sent Facebook's CTIO. If he does not accept the invitation to appear by 24 May, he could be physically forced to appear in parliament the next time he visits the UK.
The letter to the Facebook CEO details almost 40 questions that CTO Mike Schroepfer was unable to answer fully, or promised a written response on when he appeared before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee last month to discuss Facebook's role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal over political campaigning using social media. The topics include 'dark ads' and Facebook’s financial gain from them; third-party app developers; foreign interference and advertising spend in elections; the employment of Joseph Chancellor; and the EU's GDPR and the storage and privacy of user data, amongst other issues.
The DCMS Committee Chair Damian Collins said Schroepfer's testimony was "unsatisfactory" and called again for Zuckerberg to appear. He noted recent reports that Zuckerberg may appear before the European Parliament later this month to discuss similar matters. He asked Zuckerberg to come to London on his European trip and appear before the committee by 24 May. If the CEO does not accept, Collins said the Committee will issue a "formal summons for him to appear when he is next in the UK".
Zuckerberg appeared last month before committees of the US Congress to discuss Facebook's role in the recent political scandals. However, he has not responded to requests from European governments to do the same, sending other Facebook executives such as Schroepfer instead. The European Parliament rejected an appearance by a lower executive.
The European Parliament President Antonio Tajani also sent a letter to Zuckerberg asking him to attend a hearing with MEPs. An unnamed Parliament official recently told Politico.eu that Facebook is close to an agreement for Zuckerberg to meet with MEPs, pending a deal on conditions requested by the CEO. He would appear before a joint session of parliamentary committees, likely some time in May.
