Where Was Zuckerberg During Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica Damage Control Session?

As Facebook handles damage control in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica controversy, Mark Zuckerberg refused to show up at Tuesday’s company meeting, The Daily Beast reported.

Employees were briefed on Facebook’s relationship with the London-based big data firm that may have used the private information of 50 million users, but Zuckerberg has been keeping a low profile.

The revelations on Cambridge Analytica are especially troubling since Steve Bannon was once its vice president, the firm was hired by President Donald Trump‘s campaign, and it reportedly targeted Facebook users with personalized ads during the 2016 election.

Tuesday’s meeting was the first one held by the company to address growing concerns over the exact role of the firm as it relates to Facebook and the Trump campaign, but since Zuckerberg was MIA, Paul Grewal, a company attorney, led the session instead, The Daily Beast said. Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg was also absent, according to the outlet.

Nonetheless, a spokesperson told The Daily Beast that both Zuckerberg and Sandberg are committed to protecting their site’s users.

“Mark, Sheryl and their teams are working around the clock to get all the facts and take the appropriate action moving forward, because they understand the seriousness of this issue,” the spokesperson said. “The entire company is outraged we were deceived. We are committed to vigorously enforcing our policies to protect people’s information and will take whatever steps are required to see that this happens.”

The Cambridge Analytica scandal first broke in The Guardian, after former employee Christopher Wylie leaked the details of his role in creating what he dubbed “Steve Bannon’s psychological warfare mindfuck tool.” The company has since suspended Chief Executive Officer Alexander Nix.

Wylie said his Facebook account was suspended.

[Image via screengrab]