Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Jun 21, 2025

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg threatened to shift Facebook investment away from UK, papers reveal

Matt Hancock told social media boss in private meeting he wanted a shift in government tone on internet policy
Matt Hancock told Mark Zuckerberg in a private meeting that he wanted to shift the government’s approach to big tech companies, after the Facebook boss threatened to pull investment out of the UK.

Details of the meeting, which took place in 2018 when Mr Hancock was culture secretary with responsibility for social media regulation, are contained in official papers released to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism following a lengthy freedom of information battle.

According to the note of the meeting taken by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Mr Hancock told the Facebook boss that he wanted to shift the government’s tone from being one of “threatening regulation” towards an approach of “encouraging collaborative working to ensure legislation is proportionate and innovation-friendly”.

The meeting, at a technology conference in Paris, came days after Mr Hancock had denounced Mr Zuckerberg for resisting demands from the House of Commons Culture Committee to give evidence to its inquiry into fake news.

Shortly before, the UK government had announced new legislation on internet safety.

The Facebook CEO spoke of an “anti-tech” government in London and joked that Britain might become one of the only two countries he could not visit - the other presumably being China.

And the note recorded that he “said the UK was the obvious territory in Europe for them to invest in, but they are now considering looking elsewhere”.

Mr Hancock sought “increased dialogue” with Zuckerberg, “so he can bring forward the message that he has support from Facebook at the highest level”, said the DCMS minutes.

The next month, Hancock had a follow-up meeting with Elliot Schrage, then Facebook’s top lobbyist, who later wrote thanking him for setting out his thinking on “how we can work together on building a model for sensible co-regulation

Mr Schrage also stated that the “challenges of online safety” should be “achieved in a constructive and collaborative way”, before signing off by saying Facebook was close to providing an update on its “commitment to London”.

The document showed that it took “several days of wrangling” by DCMS to persuade Mr Zuckerberg to take part in the meeting, and that Facebook had to be given explicit assurances that Mr Hancock wanted a “positive meeting” and would not simply use it to repeat demands for the tech boss to appear before MPs.

Former Commons Culture Committee chair Damian Collins said: The context of Mark Zuckerberg’s 2018 meeting with Matt Hancock was that it was two months after the Cambridge Analytica scandal had broken and Mark Zuckerberg was refusing our requests for him to appear before the committee to discuss it.

“The notes from this meeting clearly show that Mark Zuckerberg was running scared of the DCMS committee investigation on disinformation and fake news and was actively seeking to avoid being questioned by us about what he knew and when about the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

“It shows how afraid Mark Zuckerberg is of scrutiny that Facebook saw questions about the safety of users’ data on their platform and how they worked with Cambridge Analytica as an ‘anti-tech’ agenda. I’d be happy to discuss this with Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook Live anytime.

The minutes also reveal that Mr Hancock was due to visit Facebook in September 2018, but in the event this did not take place as he was moved to the Department of Health.

The BIJ initially requested notes from the meeting in November 2018, and fought a long freedom of information battle to secure their release.

Reporter Matthew Chapman said: “Matt Hancock’s obsequious dealings with Mark Zuckerberg are more like those of a flunkey of Facebook rather than a government minister in charge of regulating big tech.

“It has been a bitter struggle to discover what was discussed at the meeting. The government has gone to great lengths to cover up a discussion that has far-reaching implications for British society and democracy. The entire process raises serious questions about transparency within government and the deference it shows technology companies.”

Erin Alcock of the BIJ’s lawyers Leigh Day said: “The public should know what their government is discussing with powerful individuals and organisations such as Facebook and whether their government is working to protect the rights of individuals over their own data, and their safety and security online.”

A Facebook spokesman said: “Facebook has long said we need new regulations to set high standards across the internet. In fact last year Mark Zuckerberg called on governments to establish new rules around harmful content, privacy, data portability, and election integrity.

“The UK is our largest engineering hub outside of the US and just this year we created 1,000 new roles in the country.”

Matt Hancock told Mark Zuckerberg in a private meeting that he wanted to shift the government’s approach to big tech companies, after the Facebook boss threatened to pull investment out of the UK.

Details of the meeting, which took place in 2018 when Mr Hancock was culture secretary with responsibility for social media regulation, are contained in official papers released to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism following a lengthy freedom of information battle.

According to the note of the meeting taken by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Mr Hancock told the Facebook boss that he wanted to shift the government’s tone from being one of “threatening regulation” towards an approach of “encouraging collaborative working to ensure legislation is proportionate and innovation-friendly”.

The meeting, at a technology conference in Paris, came days after Mr Hancock had denounced Mr Zuckerberg for resisting demands from the House of Commons Culture Committee to give evidence to its inquiry into fake news.

Shortly before, the UK government had announced new legislation on internet safety.

The Facebook CEO spoke of an “anti-tech” government in London and joked that Britain might become one of the only two countries he could not visit - the other presumably being China.

And the note recorded that he “said the UK was the obvious territory in Europe for them to invest in, but they are now considering looking elsewhere”.

Mr Hancock sought “increased dialogue” with Zuckerberg, “so he can bring forward the message that he has support from Facebook at the highest level”, said the DCMS minutes.

The next month, Hancock had a follow-up meeting with Elliot Schrage, then Facebook’s top lobbyist, who later wrote thanking him for setting out his thinking on “how we can work together on building a model for sensible co-regulation

on online safety issues”.

Mr Schrage also stated that the “challenges of online safety” should be “achieved in a constructive and collaborative way”, before signing off by saying Facebook was close to providing an update on its “commitment to London”.

The document showed that it took “several days of wrangling” by DCMS to persuade Mr Zuckerberg to take part in the meeting, and that Facebook had to be given explicit assurances that Mr Hancock wanted a “positive meeting” and would not simply use it to repeat demands for the tech boss to appear before MPs.

Former Commons Culture Committee chair Damian Collins said: The context of Mark Zuckerberg’s 2018 meeting with Matt Hancock was that it was two months after the Cambridge Analytica scandal had broken and Mark Zuckerberg was refusing our requests for him to appear before the committee to discuss it.

“The notes from this meeting clearly show that Mark Zuckerberg was running scared of the DCMS committee investigation on disinformation and fake news and was actively seeking to avoid being questioned by us about what he knew and when about the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

“It shows how afraid Mark Zuckerberg is of scrutiny that Facebook saw questions about the safety of users’ data on their platform and how they worked with Cambridge Analytica as an ‘anti-tech’ agenda. I’d be happy to discuss this with Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook Live anytime.

The minutes also reveal that Mr Hancock was due to visit Facebook in September 2018, but in the event this did not take place as he was moved to the Department of Health.

The BIJ initially requested notes from the meeting in November 2018, and fought a long freedom of information battle to secure their release.

Reporter Matthew Chapman said: “Matt Hancock’s obsequious dealings with Mark Zuckerberg are more like those of a flunkey of Facebook rather than a government minister in charge of regulating big tech.

“It has been a bitter struggle to discover what was discussed at the meeting. The government has gone to great lengths to cover up a discussion that has far-reaching implications for British society and democracy. The entire process raises serious questions about transparency within government and the deference it shows technology companies.”

Erin Alcock of the BIJ’s lawyers Leigh Day said: “The public should know what their government is discussing with powerful individuals and organisations such as Facebook and whether their government is working to protect the rights of individuals over their own data, and their safety and security online.”

A Facebook spokesman said: “Facebook has long said we need new regulations to set high standards across the internet. In fact last year Mark Zuckerberg called on governments to establish new rules around harmful content, privacy, data portability, and election integrity.

“The UK is our largest engineering hub outside of the US and just this year we created 1,000 new roles in the country.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Black Box Recovered from Air India Crash Site
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Global News Roundup: From Ukraine's strategic military strikes and Russia's demands and Tensions Escalate in Ukraine, to serious legal issues faced by Britons in Bali and Trump's media criticism, the latest developments highlight a turbulent landscape
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
×