D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine is suing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over alleged consumer protection violations, saying he must hold big corporate CEOs accountable for their actions.
Mr. Racine claimed he has evidence to show Mr. Zuckerberg was personally involved in the data leak that allowed political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica to target Facebook users during the 2016 presidential race.
“This lawsuit is not only warranted but necessary and sends a message that corporate leaders, including CEOs, will be held accountable for their actions,” Mr. Racine said in a statement on Monday.
Mr. Racine’s lawsuit said the company Cambridge Analytica exfiltrated personal data on 70 million Facebook users in the U.S., including 340,000 people in D.C, to influence the 2016 presidential election.
The D.C. attorney general has struck out swinging against Facebook in recent years. Last year, a federal judge tossed an antitrust lawsuit brought by several dozen state attorneys general, including Mr. Racine.
Mr. Racine first sued Facebook in 2018 over allegations that the platform failed to protect people’s data and later sought to add Mr. Zuckerberg to the lawsuit. The Superior Court of the District of Columbia blocked Mr. Racine’s effort in a March hearing, according to the New York Times, and now Mr. Racine is pursuing Mr. Zuckerberg individually.
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Facebook, which rebranded as Meta, did not respond to a request for comment.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
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