Facebook Inc is on a hiring spree in Washington as the social network bulks up its ranks of lobbyists in the midst of a privacy scandal that cuts to the heart of its business model. The company started hiring new lobbyists last fall after revelations Russians exploited its platform to help elect President Donald Trump. Last week, Facebook officials appeared unprepared and uncertain during briefings with congressional staff to answer questions about how big the problem is, according to staffers who attended the meetings. Staffers also asked the Facebook officials questions about who owns data on the social network and about the policies, procedures and terms of service now in effect and what Facebook will do next. The company ranks third among top tech companies in Washington lobbying spending after Alphabet Inc’s Google and Amazon.com Inc and employs about 40 internal and external lobbyists.

Source: The Star March 27, 2018 10:18 UTC