Mark Zuckerberg will testify to Congress on Cambridge Analytica scandal: report
Mark Zuckerberg will take a trip to Washington.
The CEO of Facebook is planning to testify before Congress in the coming weeks, CNN reported on Tuesday. This decision follows loud calls from U.S. lawmakers like Sen. Edward Markey and Sen. Richard Blumenthal and a formal invitation from the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Zuckerberg's testimony is a first from the 33-year-old CEO, despite previous requests from the Senate Intelligence Committee. Facebook has had a big presence in Washington in recent years, with Facebook's general counsel appearing alongside Google and Twitter's legal teams in front of the Senate and House for the Russia investigation last November. At that time, lawmakers like Sen. Angus King said he was "disappointed" the CEOs did not appear.
Following Facebook's scandal with Trump-linked data firm Cambridge Analytica, mounting pressure from lawmakers and media outlets made Zuckerberg's personal testimony necessary, according to anonymous sources speaking with CNN.
Zuckerberg plans not to testify in the UK, however. His team recently sent a letter suggesting Facebook Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer or Chief Product Officer Chris Cox will appear before parliament's Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, Reuters reported earlier in the day.
Zuckerberg shared his willingness to testify, if it came to that, in an interview with CNN last week. His appearance may encourage the other CEOs, such as Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, to appear themselves, anonymous sources suggested to CNN.
Facebook and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Twitter declined to comment on who will testify for them.
UPDATE: March 27, 2018, 12:53 p.m. EDT Facebook declined to confirm CNN's reporting on Zuckerberg's decision to testify to Congress.
Kerry Flynn is a business reporter for Mashable covering the tech industry. She previously reported on social media companies, mobile apps and startups for International Business Times. She has also written for The Huffington Post, Forbes and Money magazine. Kerry studied environmental science and economics at Harvard College, where she led The Harvard Crimson's metro news and design teams and played mellophone in the Band. When not listening to startup pitches, she runs half-marathons, plays with puppies and pretends to like craft beer.
