Meta to pay for former COO Sheryl Sandberg’s security

Meta Platforms Inc will provide personal security services to its former chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, in view of “continuing threats to her safety.” The company board took the decision on Friday.

Though Meta did not elaborate on the threats Sandberg faces, she is one of the most powerful women in Silicon Valley and a close associate of Meta’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. The company will pay for security services at her residences and during her personal travel from October 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023.

Sandberg announced in June that she would leave the social media giant after 14 years. She led the company’s much-criticized ads-based business model. The company also faced several controversies during her tenure.

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Riddled with controversy

In 2018, it came to light that the UK consultancy Cambridge Analytica had improperly acquired data on millions of US users to target election advertising. The same year, UN human rights investigators said the use of Facebook had played a key role in spreading hate speech, fuelling violence against the Rohingyas in Myanmar.

After September 30, Sandberg will no longer be an employee but remain on its board, Zuckerberg said in a regulatory filing.

In the past, Meta has spent heavily on the security of its top executives. Last year, it spent $26.8 million on Zuckerberg’s personal security and private aircraft, the company revealed in April.

(With agency inputs)