Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify before Congress next week on the social media site's privacy policies in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, the House Energy and Commerce Committee said Wednesday.
It's the first confirmed appearance before Congress for Facebook's top executive after the data leak and follows reports from last week that he was preparing a testimony.
"This hearing will be an important opportunity to shed light on critical consumer data privacy issues and help all Americans better understand what happens to their personal information online. We appreciate Mr. Zuckerberg's willingness to testify before the committee, and we look forward to him answering our questions on April 11th," Committee Chairman Greg Walden and Ranking Member Frank Pallone said in a statement.
Facebook is facing questions from lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic following reports that research firm Cambridge Analytica improperly gained access to the private information of more than 50 million Facebook users.
Zuckerberg has also been invited to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Facebook has previously declined to comment on whether Zuckerberg would accept those invitations.
The CEO declined to testify before UK lawmakers last week. Instead the company said it would send a top deputy to answer questions.
The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
