Top Facebook lawyer Colin Stretch who was instrumental in the social network’s probe of Russian 2016 election interference announced he is stepping down, Business Insider reported.
Stretch, who led Facebook’s investigation and testified before Congress on the issue, said he was leaving the company after eight years, citing relocation as his reasons for departure.
He confirmed the news in a Facebook post on Tuesday night, explaining that the decision to move to D.C. from California was made with his wife several years ago.
“We knew it would be difficult for me to remain in this role indefinitely,” Stretch said, adding that as Facebook embraces the broader responsibility discussed by Mark Zuckerberg, the company and legal team would need sustained leadership in Menlo Park.
“There is never a ‘right time’ for a transition like this, but the team and the company boast incredible talent and will navigate this well,” he added.
Last month the social network’s head of communications and public policy, Elliot Schrage, announced he was leaving the company after over a decade, to “start a new chapter,” Variety reported.
Both Stretch and Schrage’s decision to leave Facebook comes at a time when the company is steeped in controversy.
There have been mounting concerns over the social media giant's ability to protect personal data following the Cambridge Analytica data leak scandal, in which a political data firm harvested private information from over 50 million users without their knowledge or consent.
Facebook has also come under fire for the way it has been moderating content and a recent investigation led by Channel 4’s “Dispatchers” found that the social media platform allows violent videos to remain on the site to enhance the user’s experience.
Last month the site temporarily blocked a gospel music video from its platform after the content was flagged as “political.”
And earlier this month the social media platform flagged the Declaration of Independence as hate speech after a Texas community newspaper posted an excerpt to its page in the week leading up to July 4.
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