The attorney general of Washington, D.C. told The New York Times on Wednesday that he plans to name Mark Zuckerberg in a privacy lawsuit that stems from the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The suit, first filed in December 2018, charges Facebook with misleading DC residents about their privacy, because Cambridge Analytica was able to illicitly obtain data on tens of millions of users.
Attorney general Karl Racine told the Times that new information had shed light on Zuckerberg's role in product changes that enabled third-party developers to collect data on their users' friends, a technique that allowed a Cambridge University researcher to collect reams of data and sell it to Cambridge Analytica. "Under these circumstances, adding Mr. Zuckerberg to our lawsuit is unquestionably warranted, and should send a message that corporate leaders, including the C.E.O., will be held accountable for their actions," Racine told the Times.
Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone called the allegations "meritless" in a statement to the Times and said, "We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously and focus on the facts."
Climate TRACE's data show emissions at the facility-level.Image: Climate TRACE