Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Called to Testify Before House Committee
Social network has left many questions “unanswered,” according to statement from House committee
Sean Burch | March 22, 2018 @ 11:36 AM
Last Updated: March 22, 2018 @ 11:37 AM
Mark Zuckerberg’s apology tour might not be over just yet.
The Facebook co-founder and chief executive has been called to testify in front of a House of Representatives committee on Thursday, in the aftermath of millions of users having their information leaked to a political data firm. Zuckerberg is “the right witness to provide answers to the American people,” House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden and top Democrat rep Frank Pallone said in a statement.
“The latest revelations regarding Facebook’s use and security of user data raises many serious consumer protection concerns. After committee staff received a briefing yesterday from Facebook officials, we felt that many questions were left unanswered,” said Walden and Pauline. “We look forward to working with Facebook and Mr. Zuckerberg to determine a date and time in the near future for a hearing before this committee.”
The congressmen promised to send Facebook a letter to formally invite Zuckerberg in the days ahead.
Zuckerberg has been in the crosshairs of regulators and the public since it was revealed late last week data firm Cambridge Analytica had lifted the data of 50 million unwitting users back in 2014. The firm was eventually contracted by the Trump administration to target voters online during its successful run to the White House in 2016.
In an interview with Wired on Wednesday afternoon, Zuckerberg said he was open to testifying in front of congress on the leak.”If it is ever the case that I am the most informed person at Facebook in the best position to testify, I will happily do that,” said Zuckerberg.
6 Tech Giants Shaking Up News, From Jeff Bezos to Laurene Powell Jobs (Photos)
Tech leaders are increasingly intertwined with the news business. While some want to support old properties, one set out to destroy a new one. Here they are.
Jeff Bezos – Washington Post
The Amazon founder purchased the Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million in cash. President Trump has called the paper the “Amazon Washington Post.”
The Facebook co-founder purchased The New Republic in 2012, becoming executive chairman and publisher. However, he sold the venerable political magazine to Win McCormack in 2016, saying he "underestimated the difficulty of transitioning an old and traditional institution into a digital media company in today’s quickly evolving climate."
The eBay founder is a well-known philanthropist who created First Look Media, a journalism venture behind The Intercept. Inspired by Edward Snowden's leaks. Omidyar teamed up with journalists Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill and Laura Poitras to launch the website “dedicated to the kind of reporting those disclosures required: fearless, adversarial journalism.”
The PayPal co-founder doesn’t own a news organization, but he makes this list because he essentially ended one -- Gawker -- proving once again the power of an angry billionaire. Thiel secretly bankrolled Hulk Hogan’s sex-tape lawsuit against Gawker Media because he was upset that the website once outed him as gay. Hogan won the defamation lawsuit against the site that sent its parent company into bankruptcy, and Gawker.com is no longer operating.
OK, so Facebook isn’t technically a news organization… yet. However, the company is preparing to launch its much-anticipated lineup of original content later this summer, and there are also signs that it's on the verge of becoming an even bigger media platform.
Campbell Brown, Head of News Partnerships at Facebook, confirmed last week it’s developing a subscription service for publishers willing to post articles directly to Facebook Instant Articles, rather than their native websites.
Tech is increasingly intertwined with news, for better or worse
Tech leaders are increasingly intertwined with the news business. While some want to support old properties, one set out to destroy a new one. Here they are.