Facebook's Zuckerberg to testify before U.S. House Commerce panel April 11

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg will testify before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 11, the panel said on Wednesday.

Facebook has come under fire in recent weeks after it was revealed that political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, which worked for U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign, gained access to the personal data of 50 million Facebook users.

“This hearing will be an important opportunity to shed light on critical consumer data privacy issues and help all Americans better understand what happens to their personal information online,” the panel’s Republican chairman Greg Walden and top Democrat Frank Pallone said in a statement.

Facebook said last month that it hired forensic auditors to probe whether Cambridge Analytica still had the data.

The technology company has also faced pressure to do more to stop “information warfare” on its platform.

In February, 13 Russian nationals were indicted for using the website, along with other social media sites, to interfere in the U.S. presidential election. American spy agencies have warned Russia would again try to interfere in the 2018 midterm elections by using social media to spread propaganda.