Mark Zuckerberg to appear before European Parliament

Facebook’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg will appear before members of the European Parliament to answer questions about the improper use of data by now defunct political consultancy, Cambridge Analytica.

The President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, confirmed that that Zuckerberg had accepted his invitation and would appear in Brussels “as soon as possible”, perhaps even next week.

It has been reported that the internet entrepreneur will meet specifically with party leaders and members of the civil liberties committee.

The news follows Zuckerberg’s appearance before US lawmakers in April, when he answered questions on data privacy but “refused to make any promises to support new legislation or change how the social network does business”, reports Reuters.

French President Emmanuel Macron has already promised to hold “tough discussions” with Zuckerberg on tax and data privacy when he welcomes the Facebook boss, and the heads of other leading tech firms, to Paris next for a Tech for Good summit aimed at luring investment to France.

Macron has painted himself as a champion of France’s plugged-in youth and wants to transform France into a “startup nation”, says Reuters, but he is also spearheading efforts in Europe to have digital tax companies pay more tax at source.

One place Zuckerberg will not be appearing any time soon is the UK, where he faces the possibility of a formal summons by parliament after declining an invitation to appear before the media select committee.

The firm’s chief technology officer gave evidence to MPs instead.