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Facebook's Zuckerberg, Sandberg reportedly to skip hearing in Canada

Social network's top executives were subpoenaed to appear before the parliament committee.

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Testifies At House Hearing

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg won't attend an international meeting in Canada this week to discuss misinformation and election interference, CNN reports.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg don't plan to attend a hearing in Canada, later this week, CNN reported Monday, despite being subpoenaed by a Canadian Parliament committee.

The Facebook executives were invited earlier this month to appear before the International Grand Committee on Big Data, Privacy and Democracy in Ottawa on May 28, but neither responded. Zuckerberg also ignored requests to address a Canadian committee looking into election meddling and disinformation on Facebook.

Not attending the hearing could result in the executives being held in contempt of parliament, but the subpoena can only be enforced if Zuckerberg and Sandberg go to Canada.

Lawmakers from about 210 countries are expected to attend the meeting, which is scheduled to be held in Ottawa on Tuesday. Zuckerberg also declined to attend a joint international hearing in London last year to investigate disinformation and election interference.

Facebook told CNN that instead of Zuckerberg and Sandberg, it's sending to the meeting Kevin Chan, its head of public policy for Facebook Canada, and Neil Potts, its director of public policy.

Last year, Zuckerberg testified before Congress following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which data from as many as 87 million Facebook users was improperly shared with the political consultancy.

Facebook didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.