EU digital chief to meet with Zuckerberg amid privacy scandal

Privacy concerns have swamped Facebook since it acknowledged the misuse of its millions users

BRUSSELS: The European Union’s digital chief will meet with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in San Francisco as the world’s largest social network faces increasing scrutiny over its use of personal data.

Privacy concerns have swamped Facebook since it acknowledged last month that information about millions of users wrongly ended up in the hands of political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, a firm that has counted US President Donald Trump’s 2016 electoral campaign among its clients.



Andrus Ansip, European Commission Vice President in charge of digital issues will meet with Zuckerberg on Tuesday, as well as meeting with Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, to discuss issues such as data protection, online privacy, illegal content and fake news.

Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg spoke to Ansip’s justice counterpart last week in what was described as an open and constructive discussion.



A tough new EU data protection law entering into force on May 25 has acquired new prominence following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, with European policymakers saying it will set a standard worldwide.

Zuckerberg has also been asked to speak before the European Parliament to explain how Europeans’ Facebook data may have been misused.