Facebook sales grow as users tick up; Mark Zuckerberg defends political ads

Facebook Inc reported an uptick in users in lucrative markets and its third straight rise in quarterly sales growth, but the company’s controversial political ads stole the limelight when CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke to analysts.
Shares rose about 4.5% after hours to $196.64. That put the shares on track to eclipse their record closing high of $194.32 in June 2018, just before a dramatic drop that summer amid escalating costs.
Over the last three years, Facebook, the world’s largest social media company, has faced rising hostility from both users and lawmakers over its handling of user data and its inability to ensure the integrity of its popular news feeds.