The data scandal and the company Cambridge Analytica has caught up with Facebook. The company of Mark Zuckerberg has been sued because of a Data breach from the attorney General of the US capital, Washington.
Facebook had admitted in March that the policy consulting firm in Cambridge Analytica get the data from up to 87 million users of the social network in the hands and in the U.S.-the election campaign in favor of Donald Trump.
attorney General Karl Racine, said that Facebook had failed to protect the data of its users. In addition, the company had misled its clients about who had access to the data and how they would be used. The users had been exposed to the risk of Manipulation.
collected as A personality test advertised App since 2013 the personal information of friends of their users. The information was later sold to Cambridge Analytica. Information of more than 340 000 inhabitants of the district of the District of Columbia were accessible, even though only 860 residents have downloaded the App, said attorney General Racine.
After this scandal came in March to the light, had to explain to Mark Zuckerberg in front of the US Congress. Zuckerberg promised a better data protection and more stringent rules on what data third-party developers can access. The lawsuit is intended to ensure, according to the attorney General to ensure that Facebook takes the appropriate measures, to be his “promise to protect the privacy of its users”.
Facebook responded with a brief Statement on the lawsuit. The company is examining the lawsuit, in addition, it will continue its “discussions with the General prosecutors from DC and elsewhere,” it said.
New data scandal overshadowed suit
Shortly before the action, another abuse scandal became known. The New York Times reported that Facebook gave much more information of its users to third parties, as far as is known. The extensive research, according to 150 of “Partner”firms were able to access sensitive information: Microsoft’s search engine Bing, for example, had, therefore, access to the names of Facebook friends without consent, Netflix and Spotify have been able to see private messages, Amazon user name and contact information.
Facebook defended the disclosure of the data. This business practice allows for the users “social experiences”, among other things, had you been on the partners pages, recommendations from your Facebook friends is displayed. The company had been no “access to information without permission” given by the customers. Most of these functions there is now.
This case of abuse is only one of numerous scandals that Facebook loaded in the past few months. Only last week it became known that in the case of a data breach photos of perhaps 6.8 million users in the wrong hands could reach. The negative headlines are troubling, apparently, also the investors: The Facebook share price fell on Wednesday under pressure.