Jul 20, 2022 - Technology

Meta's Zuckerberg and Sandberg agree to testify in privacy lawsuit

Jacob Knutson

Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in Sun Valley, Idaho, in July 2021. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg and its departing COO Sheryl Sandberg will testify in a privacy lawsuit against the company that alleges Facebook illegally shared user data with analytics firm Cambridge Analytica, Bloomberg reports.

Why it matters: Meta could lose millions of dollars if it does not win the lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of consumers after it was revealed in 2018 that Cambridge Analytica obtained data on as many as 87 million users from a third party and used it to target voters with highly specific ads for former President Trump's 2016 campaign.

Facebook at the time said the data was obtained legally but that its use violated its policies.

The big picture: Zuckerberg agreed to a deposition that could last up to six hours, and Sandberg agreed to sit for up to five hours, according to a Tuesday filing in San Francisco federal court reviewed by Bloomberg.

Javier Olivan, the company's chief officer for growth who is set to replace Sandberg after she leaves the company, will face up to three hours of questioning.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Meta's Zuckerberg and Sandberg agree to testify in privacy lawsuit

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