California [USA], Oct 20 (ANI): Social media giant Facebook announced the appointment of United Kingdom's former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg as the vice president of the firm's global affairs and communications department.

Facebook's Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg took to the social media platform to announce the news of Clegg's appointment, and hailed the latter as a "thoughtful and gifted leader" who "understands deeply the responsibilities we have to people who use our service around the world."

Sandberg, in the Facebook post, also thanked the outgoing vice president of the firm's global affairs and communications department, Elliot Schrage, for the contributions he made during his ten-year stint at Facebook.

Clegg, who has been an active part of Britain's political arena for 20 years, led the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015, including five years in the coalition government with the Conservatives. He lost his seat at last year's general election, prior to which he was a member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2004. He is also known to be an ardent supporter of a second Brexit referendum, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In view of the new responsibility entrusted upon him, Clegg, in a Facebook post, said he will be moving to California to take up the new role, which he described as an "exciting new adventure"

"As someone who has spent a lifetime arguing for Britain's wholehearted commitment to Europe, it is of course a wrench to be leaving the public debate at a crucial time in the Brexit process. But the key decisions will soon pass to Parliament, of which I am no longer a Member, and once I had decided to take up this unique new challenge at Facebook, I felt it was best to get going sooner rather than later," he said in the post.

Clegg continued, "Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, Oculus and Instagram are at the heart of so many people's everyday lives - but also at the heart of some of the most complex and difficult questions we face as a society: the privacy of the individual; the integrity of our democratic process; the tensions between local cultures and the global internet; the balance between free speech and prohibited content; the power and concerns around artificial intelligence; and the wellbeing of our children. I believe that Facebook must continue to play a role in finding answers to those questions - not by acting alone in Silicon Valley, but by working with people, organisations, governments and regulators around the world to ensure that technology is a force for good. I am looking forward to being part of this endeavour."

(ANI)

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