Rep. David Cicilline, the ranking member of the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, tweeted that Mark Zuckerberg lied to Congress about Facebook privacy. | Cliff Owen/AP Photo Facebook's privacy woes grow in Washington

Lawmakers are slamming Facebook over a report that the company shared its users' personal data with a range of device makers, which one House Democrat suggested means CEO Mark Zuckerberg lied under oath in April.

"Sure looks like Zuckerberg lied to Congress about whether users have 'complete control' over who sees our data on Facebook. This needs to be investigated and the people responsible need to be held accountable," tweeted David Cicilline (D-R.I.), the ranking member of the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee.


He was referring to a story on Facebook in The New York Times, as well as to congressional testimony Zuckerberg delivered in April, following revelations that Facebook let Trump campaign-linked data firm Cambridge Analytica improperly access information on as many as 87 million Facebook users via an academic researcher.

The New York Times reported late Sunday that Facebook may have shared user data with hardware companies as well. The social network "reached data-sharing partnerships with at least 60 device makers — including Apple, Amazon, BlackBerry, Microsoft and Samsung — over the last decade," according to the report.

The story says Facebook began winding down the partnerships in April, but raises questions about whether they violated a 2011 consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission. Under that agreement, the company committed to get users' express affirmative consent before doing anything running counter to their privacy preferences.

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Lawmakers of both parties joined Cicilline in registering their displeasure.

Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) teamed up on a letter to Zuckerberg calling the news "deeply concerning." They asked him to answer a number of questions by June 18, including whether users had the ability to opt out of data sharing and whether Facebook had any privacy protections built into its data pacts with hardware companies.

"The American people deserve to fully understand with whom and under what conditions Facebook provides access to user data," they wrote.

The letter came after Blumenthal lambasted Facebook in a series of tweets, asking if it wants to "revisit [its] previous statements to Congress about sharing users' data with third-parties without their consent."

"Looking forward to hearing from @Microsoft @Samsung @Apple & others with privileged access to Facebook why they wanted this personal data, how they used it & most importantly: how they’ve protected it," Blumenthal tweeted. He said the revelations show the need for tougher consumer privacy protections in the U.S., "beginning with a privacy bill of rights modeled on Europe’s new rules (GDPR)."

House Energy and Commerce Committee ranking Democrat Frank Pallone said in a statement that the company and device manufacturers should "be prepared to come before Congress" to explain.

“It’s deeply concerning that Facebook continues to withhold critical details about the information it has and shares with others. This is just the latest example of Facebook only coming forward when forced to do so by a media outlet," Pallone, who represents New Jersey, said. He called on the FTC to conduct a review to see if the company violated the 2011 agreement.

GOP lawmakers have generally hesitated to call for more regulation in the face of Europe's sweeping new data-privacy law, saving their most pointed Facebook criticisms for what they say is the company's bias against conservatives. Nevertheless, at least two powerful Republicans raised concerns about the report and said they want to hear from Facebook.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said the Senate Commerce Committee, which he chairs, will be sending Facebook a letter seeking additional information. "This report raises important questions about transparency and potential privacy risks for Facebook users," he said in a statement.

Elena Hernandez, a spokesperson for Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the report is a "troubling reminder that the expectations tech companies set for consumer protection sometimes differ from what is actually delivered."

Walden recently penned an op-ed calling for a number of tech companies to talk to the committee before they risk running into further privacy issues. The Times report "reiterates the call for industry leaders to come and testify before us," Hernandez said.

Facebook, in a blog post, pushed back against the Times story, saying that the arrangements with device makers "allowed companies to recreate Facebook-like experiences for their individual devices or operating systems" and that the company "controlled them tightly from the get-go."