Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Chris Wylie will appear before a Canadian parliamentary committee and while no date has been set, Global News has learned that appearance could come within the month.
The chief of staff to the chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics confirmed in an email that a formal invitation has been issued to Wylie, who was a former employee of the firm at the heart of a massive scandal over its harvesting of user data from Facebook for use in campaigns including that of now-U.S. President Donald Trump.
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“I can tell you that Chris Wylie has been invited to appear before the Ethics committee and we are working on a date that he is able to attend in person,” wrote Cindy Bourbonnais.
“I can say that he will appear voluntarily and the committee is currently working out a schedule so that his attendance can be arranged. I have no information regarding the timing.”
However, one source speaking on background told Global News the intention is to try to have him appear within the month.
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Wylie has previously stated he would be willing to testify before a Canadian parliamentary committee.
Interviews Wylie granted to media earlier this year explaining the scandal and his appearance before a U.K. committee studying Cambridge Analytica have ignited a storm of backlash and criticism against both Facebook and the political analysis firm.
The deepening public relations disaster forced Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify before Congress last week, where he was faced with questions about how Cambridge Analytica was able to harvest the data of some 87-million users of the social media site to shape their campaigns in support of Trump.
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The firm is also alleged to have been involved in cheating by the “Leave” camp during the Brexit vote to manipulate voters into casting their ballots in support of leaving the European Union.
Any testimony by Wylie before the committee would be guaranteed to attract intense attention.
Not only would questions centre around the activities of Cambridge Analytica but likely also on the kind of work Wylie did while working in the offices of former Liberal Party leaders Michael Ignatieff and Stephane Dion.
Wylie also had a $100,000 contract with the Liberal Caucus Research Bureau to conduct a pilot project that involved social media monitoring but the party did not pursue it given concerns over the kinds of activities he proposed.
It is not known exactly what kinds of ideas Wylie suggested that raised concerns among the current government.