A former Facebook employee who was responsible for monitoring data breaches has come forward about the way Facebook handles user data, calling its practices 'utterly shocking and horrifying'

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators and state prosecutors are opening investigations into Facebook. Politicians in the United States and Europe are calling for its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, to testify before them. Investors have cut the value of the social networking giant by about $50 billion in the past two days.

They are all focused on the same thing: whether Facebook mishandled users’ data.

Facebook has built its highly profitable social network off its users, selling advertisements based on their ages, interests and other details. But the scrutiny over the company’s vast trove of personal data — following a report that a political consulting firm had improperly obtained information of 50 million users — is taking direct aim at that lucrative formula.

Cambridge Analytica began testing out pro-Trump slogans the same year Russia launched its influence operation targeting the 2016 election


The Trump campaign-linked data firm Cambridge Analytica began testing out slogans like "Drain the Swamp" and "Build the Wall" the same year Russia began its social media influence operation targeting the 2016 election.
Cambridge Analytica has denied any links to Russian entities or individuals.
The firm attracted scrutiny when a whistleblower said Cambridge Analytica executives met with executives of a sanctioned Russian oil producer in 2014 and 2015 to discuss politically targeting messages toward American voters.
Cambridge Analytica executives were also secretly filmed boasting about how they used shadowy online propaganda tools to help Donald Trump win the 2016 US election.

This story has served as a wake-up call for so many of us, showing how ignorant we are of what's going on on the sites billions of us use on a daily basis
By James Ball
3:41 PM

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg called before UK committee as Cambridge Analytica suspends CEO

Alexander Nix, the CEO of Cambridge Analytica, the firm at the heart of the data-mining scandal, has been suspended.

The company said in a statement: “The board of Cambridge Analytica has announced today that it has suspended CEO Alexander Nix with immediate effect pending a full, independent investigation.

“In the view of the board, Mr Nix’s recent comments secretly recorded by Channel 4 and other allegations do not represent the values or operations of the firm and his suspension reflects the seriousness with which we view this violation.”

Europe’s data protection authorities eye Facebook, Cambridge Analytica

The social media company and the political consultancy could face fights with UK and EU authorities.

By Laurens Cerulus

3/19/18, 3:09 PM CET

Updated 3/19/18, 5:18 PM CET

Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, two companies at the center of allegations of massive misuse of personal data, could face a flurry of investigations and inquiries in Europe as the Continent takes a stricter approach to data protection.

The British Information Commissioner’s Office said Monday that an ongoing investigation into micro-targeting in political campaigning using personal data will include “any new information, statements or evidence that have come to light in recent days.”

“This is a complex and far reaching investigation for my office and any criminal or civil enforcement actions arising from it will be pursued vigorously,” reads a statement from privacy chief Elizabeth Denham.

Facebook is under fire amid revelations that data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica misused large data sets from Facebook to help politicians, including U.S. President Donald Trump and the U.K. Brexit campaign.

Denham would likely be responsible for imposing measures on the companies if the allegations turn out to be true, because Cambridge Analytica is based in London.

Facebook said it suspended Cambridge Analytica’s access to its network over concerns that it had violated the company’s privacy policies by obtaining users’ information without their consent. It added that Cambridge Analytica’s activities do not represent a data breach, because the people using its app gave their consent. In a statement, Cambridge Analytica said it refutes the allegations, which it said were false, and that it complied with Facebook’s privacy policy.

The social media company and the political consultancy may face other fights across Europe.

“Enforcement of EU data protection rules is the responsibility of data protection authorities. The Commission is in contact with them and calls on them to investigate this case,” the office of EU Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová said Monday.

It’s not your imagination. Donald Trump’s occupancy of the White House is every bit as insane, corrupt and dangerous as you might fear. Witness this jaw-dropping message to the sitting president of the United States from the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency:

“When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but you will not destroy America . . . America will triumph over you.”

I have met John Brennan, who headed the CIA for four years under President Barack Obama. To say he is not given to hysterics is a gross understatement. His picture ought to be next to the word “sober” in the dictionary. Yet there he was on Saturday morning, using Twitter to tear into the supposed leader of the free world with language normally reserved for the tinhorn dictators of obscure kleptocracies.