Another congressional panel just summoned Mark Zuckerberg - and it could just be the tip of the iceberg
- The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation asked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify on Friday.
- Now two congressional committees have asked for Zuckerberg to appear, while others are preparing to demand his testimony.
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation requested public testimony from Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Friday, adding to the list of congressional panels looking to haul in the company's top executives.
"During our time leading the Commerce Committee, several questions about Facebook's responsibilities and obligations to users have arisen even as the company's reach and importance have grown," said Republican Sen. John Thune and Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in a joint statement on behalf of the committee. "As a result, we have decided to ask Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify before our committee."
"On a bipartisan basis, we believe Mr. Zuckerberg's testimony is necessary to gain a better understanding of how the company plans to restore lost trust, safeguard users' data, and end a troubling series of belated responses to serious problems," the two senators added. "We appreciate the efforts Facebook and its employees have already made to assist our committee and will work with them to find a suitable date for Mr. Zuckerberg to testify in the coming weeks."
Thune and Nelson also noted that Facebook has not yet responded to a series of questions from the committee about the recent privacy scandal involving the Republican data firm Cambridge Analytica, which are due by March 29.
The request followed briefings from Facebook officials on Thursday for staffers on various congressional committees. As Business Insider previously reported, many of the committees were unsatisfied with the answers they received, increasing the likelihood of multiple marathon hearings for Zuckerberg in the near future.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce also requested Zuckerberg's testimony on Thursday, while the Senate Judiciary Committee is mulling bringing him in after two senators asked Chairman Chuck Grassley to bring the billionaire in for a public hearing.
And simple requests for Zuckerberg's testimony might be the tip of the iceberg. Some lawmakers have expressed a desire to subpoena Zuckerberg and Facebook for testimony and any relevant documents for their probe.