Data row: Facebook's Zuckerberg will not appear before MPs

 

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said he will not appear before MPs investigating fake news, but will send one of his senior executives instead.

The tech giant and data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica are at the centre of a dispute over harvesting personal data and whether it was used in Donald Trump's presidential election campaign.
Mr Zuckerberg has apologised for a "breach of trust".
His stand-in will give evidence to MPs after the Easter Parliamentary break.
Chairman of the Department for Culture Media and Sport select committee Damian Collins said Chris Cox, Facebook's chief product officer, who reports directly to Mr Zuckerberg, would give evidence in the first week after the Easter break but he still hoped Mr Zuckerberg would do so too.
Over the weekend, Mr Zuckerberg took out full-page advertisements in several UK and US Sunday newspapers to apologise.
He said his company could have done more to stop millions of users having their data exploited by Cambridge Analytica.
"This was a breach of trust, and I am sorry," the back-page ads said.