Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, is holding meetings with U.K. officials on Thursday (Feb. 21) to discuss fake news and new internet regulations.
According to a report in CNBC, citing the social media giant, Zuckerberg will meet with the UK Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright at Facebook’s U.S. headquarters to discuss how the U.K. government will regulate companies in terms of how they protect data and remove misinformation from their social networks. The CEO is also expected to discuss with U.K. officials the spread of misinformation and hate on its platforms, noted the report, citing a government spokesperson.
“I look forward to meeting Mr. Zuckerberg to discuss what more Facebook can do to help keep people safe on their platforms, as we prepare a new regulatory framework that will reinforce Facebook’s and other tech firms’ responsibility to keep us safe,” Wright said in a statement to CNBC.
The meeting comes ahead of a report expected from the U.K., in which it will lay out ways to counter cyberbullying and online child abuse content. Speculation has surged that the U.K. government could propose a regulator to oversee the rules.
The meeting is also occurring after Zuckerberg declined in the past to visit the UK Parliament to answer questions from lawmakers. In the country, some lawmakers have called Facebook a “digital gangster” after it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica, the now defunct political consulting company, was able to access the data of millions of Facebook users without their consent. While Facebook was apologetic when the scandal broke, more recently it has been taking a more offensive posture, defending how it collects user data and sells ads to companies that target users based on that data.
Zuckerberg has also made more public appearances lately, which is part of his New Year’s resolution to “host a series of public discussions” and have more public talks about technology and its role in society, noted the report.
We’re always on the lookout for opportunities to partner with innovators and disruptors.
Learn More