Facebook’s CEO to meet European officials in private over privacy

The President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, released a statement confirming that Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, has accepted to meet with political group leaders and the Chair and the Rapporteur of the Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE). Tajani stated: ’This hearing will provide members of the LIBE Committee, as well as other relevant committees, with an opportunity to carry out an in-depth analysis of aspects related to personal data protection. Particular emphasis will be placed on the potential impact on electoral processes in Europe.’ The media reports the meeting will, ‘take place behind closed doors’ and will not be televised. According to Tajani’s spokesman, the reason for a closed meeting is for lawmakers to be able to speak freely, however, a ‘verbatim transcript of the meeting will be released afterwards.’ After the hearing in Brussels, Zuckerberg will travel to Paris to meet with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to talk about, ‘tax, data privacy, and leading tech firms investments’.