Cambridge Analytica: Facebook 'Being Investigated By FTC'

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The US Federal Trade Commission is reported to be investigating Facebook after allegations that 50 million users' private information was misused by a political consultancy firm.

Cambridge Analytica, used by the Trump campaign in the 2016 US election, has been accused of taking the personal data unknown to users.

Facebook is due to brief congressional aides on Wednesday.

Its stock has continued to slide, following Monday's steep decline.

The British and European parliaments have called on Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg to give evidence to them.

Cambridge Analytica, which is based in London, denies any wrongdoing.

The FTC, an independent agency of the US government, is tasked with protecting American consumers.

Why is the FTC getting involved?

The commission is investigating whether Facebook violated the terms of a 2011 decree regarding the social network's privacy protections, an unnamed source "familiar with the agency's thinking and not authorised to speak on the record" told the Washington Post newspaper.

This was confirmed by a Bloomberg news agency report, quoting an unnamed "person familiar with the matter".

Under the 2011 decree, Facebook must notify users and obtain their permission before data about them is shared beyond the privacy settings they have established, the Washington Post says.

Facebook was also subjected to 20 years of privacy checkups to ensure compliance.

Facebook confirmed on Tuesday that it was expecting to receive a letter from the FTC with questions about the data acquired by Cambridge Analytica. However, it also said it had had no indication of a formal investigation, Reuters news agency reports.

"We remain strongly committed to protecting people's information," Facebook deputy chief privacy officer Rob Sherman said. "We appreciate the opportunity to answer questions the FTC may have."

Facebook has already denied breaching the consent decree, telling the Washington Post: "We reject any suggestion of violation of the consent decree. We respected the privacy settings that people had in place. Privacy and data protections are fundamental to every decision we make."

What are the accusations against Cambridge Analytica?

Christopher Wylie, who worked with the consultancy firm, alleges that it amassed large amounts of data through a personality quiz on Facebook called This is Your Digital Life.
Alexander Nix, CEO of Cambridge Analytica, was filmed by undercover reporters for Channel 4 News

He says that 270,000 people took the quiz but the data of some 50 million users, mainly in the US, was harvested without their explicit consent via their friend networks.

Mr Wylie says that data was sold to Cambridge Analytica, which then used it to psychologically profile people and deliver pro-Trump material to them, with a view to influencing the outcome of the 2016 election.

Cambridge Analytica insists it followed the correct procedures in obtaining and using data - but it was suspended from Facebook last week.

How can you protect your data on Facebook?

There are a few things to be aware of if you want to restrict who has access to your data:
  • Keep an eye on apps, especially those which require you to log in using your Facebook account - they often have a very wide range of permissions and many are specifically designed to pick up your data
  • Use an ad blocker to limit advertising
  • Look at your Facebook security settings and make sure you are aware of what is enabled. Check the individual app settings to see whether you have given them permission to view your friends as well as yourself.
  • You can download a copy of the data Facebook holds on you, although it is not comprehensive. There is a download button at the bottom of the General Account Settings tab. However bear in mind that your data may be less secure sitting on your laptop than it is on Facebook's servers, if your device is hacked.
You can of course, simply leave Facebook, but the campaign group Privacy International warns that privacy concerns extend beyond the social network.

"The current focus is on protecting your data being exploited by third parties, but your data is being exploited all the time," said a spokeswoman.

"Many apps on your phone will have permission to access location data, your entire phone book and so on. It is just the tip of the iceberg."

BBC

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