Over the weekend, The New York Times and The Guardian each published stories exposing the exploitation of data from over 50 million Facebook users by Cambridge Analytica, a political analytics firm that worked on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Facebook has since come under fire from politicians, lawmakers, and users alike, as all parties demand answers to how the company managed to mishandle the personal data of millions of its users. To better understand the impact of these reports, IGN has compiled a brief rundown of the events that led to the exposure and an overview of what’s happened since.
On March 16, a day before the Times and The Guardian articles were published, Facebook suspended Cambridge Analytica and its parent company, SCL Group, from its platform. The suspension came after the company learned of reports that Cambridge Analytica was in possession of user data that was believed to have been destroyed.
Facebook says the data was legally obtained by Aleksander Kogan, a psychology professor at the University of Cambridge, through a personality prediction app called "thisisyourdigitallife," which used Facebook Login, the service that allows you to create accounts for third-party apps using your Facebook credentials. The app was downloaded roughly 270,000 times, giving Kogan access to certain data from each user, as well as the data of their Facebook friends "who had their privacy settings set to allow it," even if those friends had never used the app themselves.
The legality of Kogan’s data collecting came into question in 2015 when he forwarded the information to Cambridge Analytical and one other outside party, Christopher Wylie of Eunoia Technologies, Inc. Facebook says this distribution of data was a violation of their platform policy. The company subsequently removed the app and "demanded certifications from Kogan and all parties he had given data to that the information had been destroyed." According to the company, all parties obeyed and certified the data had been destroyed.
However, according to both the Times and The Guardian, that wasn’t the case. Instead, Cambridge Analytica held onto the data and used it "to build a powerful software program to predict and influence choices at the ballot box" during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Since the reports were published, Facebook has been under fire for its failure to protect its users’ data. According to USA Today, the company is now being probed by the Federal Trade Commission "over potential misuse of the personal information" of the 50 million affected users. Facebook’s stock also dropped nearly 7% on Monday, marking its biggest percentage drop in four years, according to CNN. It fell an additional 3% today, decreasing the company’s value by nearly $50 billion USD.
Naturally, the site’s users are also looking for answers, wondering if their personal data is secure. Facebook made sure to note this controversy didn’t involve a data breach; "everyone involved gave their consent," according to the company.
Meanwhile, Cambridge Analytica suspended its CEO, Alexander Nix, "pending a full, independent investigation" into a separate, yet related, matter: Nix was caught by the U.K.’s Channel 4 News discussing potential bribery and entrapment with an undercover reporter.
Stay tuned to IGN for the latest on this controversy and how it may impact Facebook moving forward.
Jordan Sirani is a freelance writer for IGN.
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