In an odd turn, the UK Parliament had confidential Facebook documents seized. Parliament has been gearing up for an international hearing regarding alleged misconduct by Facebook. The documents include correspondences among top Facebooks executives, apparently including CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself.
Facebook Documents Seized by UK Parliament
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
How Were the Documents Seized?
During a business trip in London, the founder of Six4Three was compelled by Parliament to give up the documents in question. Six4Three is no longer operating, but their founder still possessed documents relating to Facebook after working with them.
Next week, there will be an international hearing in London relating to Facebook’s numerous scandals. The Cambridge Analytica leak, potential election meddling and constant misinformation are stated topics the hearing will focus on.
Facebook’s Pushback
The social media company responded to the events in England with shock. “We consider these to be entirely without merit and that the repeated filings demonstrate that this is more about attacking our company than it is about a credible legal claim,” said Richard Allan in a letter to Parliament. Allan is the head of Facebook’s public police.
Parliament’s Stance
Damian Collins, the head of Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, had a retort for Allan in the form of a letter. On Twitter Collins posted the letter, which reminds Allan that it is within Parliamentary privilege to seize and publish the documents. Since Facebook operates in the UK, they are subject to Parliament’s laws and mechanisms.
Collins warns that if Zuckerberg visits England he will likely be compelled to appear before Parliament. Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Zuckerberg has avoided visiting the UK.
The International Hearing
The hearing in London could lead to serious issues for Facebook. If the hearing finds that Facebook is to blame for the multiple security breaches and the spread of disinformation, they could find themselves fined severely.
Such findings could lead to similar committees in the EU and even the US slapping huge fines on Facebook. Scrutiny on the company is at an all-time high following the multiple incidents under investigation.
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