DC Attorney General Sues Mark Zuckerberg For Allowing Abuse Of Data To Help Trump In 2016

Washington, DC Attorney General Karl Racine is suing Mark Zuckerberg for personally allowing the abuse of user data to manipulate the 2016 election.

The DC Attorney General’s office wrote in a statement:

Attorney General Karl A. Racine today sued Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for directly participating in decision-making that allowed the Cambridge Analytica data breach – the largest consumer privacy scandal in the nation’s history – while Facebook misled users with claims of privacy and data protection.

In the lawsuit, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) recounts evidence compiled across a sweeping investigation to allege Mr. Zuckerberg contributed to Facebook’s lax oversight of user data and implementation of misleading privacy agreements. As a result, it allowed third-parties, such as political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, to obtain personal data from 87 million Americans, including over half of District residents, and use that data to manipulate the 2016 election.

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AG Racine said, “The evidence shows Mr. Zuckerberg was personally involved in Facebook’s failure to protect the privacy and data of its users leading directly to the Cambridge Analytica incident. This unprecedented security breach exposed tens of millions of Americans’ personal information, and Mr. Zuckerberg’s policies enabled a multi-year effort to mislead users about the extent of Facebook’s wrongful conduct. This lawsuit is not only warranted, but necessary, and sends a message that corporate leaders, including CEOs, will be held accountable for their actions.”

Essentially, Zuckerberg knew that user data was being stolen and used to manipulate the 2016 election and he did nothing about it. Zuckerberg allowed an election to be manipulated. He could have stopped the data gathering and put an end to it. Instead, he misled users about Facebook’s conduct and the extent to which they were involved.

The Attorney General has been investigating Facebook since 2018 and accuses Zukerberg of allowing Cambridge Analytica to use Facebook user data to manipulate a presidential election.

Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook are facing the first bit of accountability for their role in helping Trump win the 2016 election.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association