Mark Zuckerberg 'personally involved in decisions related to Cambridge Analytica' scandal: DC attorney general

The regulatory office for Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine has announced that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been added as a defendant in connection with the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

According to NBC News, Racine filed the complaint under D.C.'s Consumer Protection Procedures Act which opens the door for individuals to be held accountable for violations.

The attorney general insists evidence compiled over the last two years makes it quite "clear Mr. Zuckerberg knowingly and actively participated in each decision that led to Cambridge Analytica's mass collection of Facebook user data, and Facebook's misrepresentations to users about how secure their data was."

Per the publication, the complaint has laid out a number of allegations against the company CEO.

"Zuckerberg was personally aware of the risks that sharing consumer data with apps posed, but actively disregarded those risks because sharing data was otherwise beneficial and lucrative to Facebook's business model and Platform growth."

Racine also insists Zuckerberg had a role in misleading not only the public but also the United States government regarding the social media platform's involvement in the scandal. Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone released a statement on behalf of the social media platform. According to Stone, Facebook is denying the allegations.

"These allegations are as meritless today as they were more than three years ago, when the District filed its complaint," Stone said in a statement. "We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously and focus on the facts."

The Guardian and The New York Times released reports about the Cambridge Analytica scandal back in 2018. At the time, it was revealed that the firm "harvested information from 50 million Facebook profiles." The social media platform later confirmed "data on as many as 87 million people were improperly shared with the company."

If it is determined that either Zuckerberg or his company broke the law, they could be forced to cover the costs of civil penalties, legal fees, and restitution to all victims involved.