British parliament wants to oblige Zuckerberg to testify before committee

A committee of the United Kingdom Parliament still wants Mark Zuckerberg to appear for a hearing. According to the committee, the previous answer from Mike Schroepfer, chief technology officer of Facebook, was insufficient.

In a letter from British MP Damian Collins to Facebook’s Rebecca Stimson, the head of Facebook’s communications department, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee wants Mark Zuckerberg to come by voluntarily or by warrant for testimony. Before 11 May, the committee wants answers to written questions and also clarity about whether Zuckerberg will appear.

According to Collins, Schroepfer’s testimony was missing many of the important details that the committee says it needs. In the letter, the committee complains that Schroepfer did not provide a complete answer on forty different points. That is why the committee wants to call on Zuckerberg to come along during his trip to Europe in May, when he will also testify before the European Parliament. Collins wants Zuckerberg to appear before the British commission on May 24.

The MP acknowledges in the letter that Zuckerberg does not normally fall under the jurisdiction of the British Parliament, but that will change the next time he visits the country, according to Collins. The committee says it hopes the Facebook CEO will come voluntarily, but otherwise a formal injunction will be issued. It’s not clear if that means Zuckerberg could possibly be forced to show up once he’s on UK soil.

Zuckerberg testified before a US Senate committee in the second week of April and before a House committee the following day, but left testimony in the UK to Facebook’s chief technology officer and chief product officer.

Collins says in the letter that Zuckerberg gave unsatisfactory answers to a number of questions during the US hearings. Zuckerberg is therefore likely to face a tough interrogation in the British Parliament, provided he actually appears.