Facebook's Zuckerberg to Meet With European Lawmakers -- Update
May 16 2018 - 1:21PM
Dow Jones News
By Natalia Drozdiak
BRUSSELS -- Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to
visit Brussels to meet with top European lawmakers to discuss the
social network's handling of its users' personal information, both
the European Parliament and the company said Wednesday.
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said the parliament
would organize a hearing to give lawmakers the opportunity to carry
out an in-depth analysis relating to the company's data-protection
policies and its potential impact on elections in Europe. The
hearing won't be open to the public, an EU official said.
Mr. Zuckerberg will meet with leaders of different political
groups during his visit, which could take place as soon as next
week, Mr. Tajani said.
In a statement, Facebook said it accepted the European
Parliament's proposal to meet with parliament leaders. It added:
"We ... appreciate the opportunity for dialogue, to listen to their
views and show the steps we are taking to better protect people's
privacy."
Facebook came under fire earlier this year following revelations
that the social network allowed personal information of as many as
87 million users to be obtained by data-analytics company Cambridge
Analytica. Facebook also has faced heat over interference in the
2016 U.S. presidential election by Russian operatives using the
social network.
Ahead of European Parliament elections in 2019, the EU has been
pushing platforms to do more to halt the spread of misinformation
or "fake news, " on their sites, or face possible regulation.
A trip by Mr. Zuckerberg next week would coincide with the
bloc's sweeping new privacy laws, which enter into force next
Friday, May 25. Facebook has said it would implement those new
privacy controls world-wide.
European lawmakers have stepped up calls for Mr. Zuckerberg to
testify in Brussels about the Cambridge revelations after he spoke
before U.S. lawmakers in mid-April.
In the U.K., a British parliamentary committee requested Mr.
Zuckerberg testify about Facebook's handling of user data or face a
formal summons. Facebook has said Mr. Zuckerberg had no plans to go
to the U.K. The company sent a top executive to testify before the
committee last month.
--Valentina Pop and Jenny Gross contributed to this article.
Write to Natalia Drozdiak at natalia.drozdiak@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 16, 2018 13:06 ET (17:06 GMT)
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