Facebook was aware of the misuse of data by Cambridge Analytica earlier than expected – lawsuit | News from the United Kingdom



[ad_1]

Facebook had been aware of Cambridge Analytica's "improper data collection practices" months before the Guardian reported for the first time in December 2015, according to a file filed by the Washington DC Attorney General.

The new information "could suggest that Facebook has consistently misled [sic]"British lawmakers" on what he knew and about Cambridge Analytica ", tweeted Damian Collins, Chair of the House of Commons Media Selection Committee for Digital Culture and Sport (DCMS) in response to the tabling.

In a statement, a spokesman for the company said: "Facebook has absolutely misled anybody about this timeline."

But the filing raises new questions about when Facebook first learned that personal information collected by tens of millions of users was collected for the now defunct Cambridge Analytica policy consulting firm.

This calendar has long been complicated by the various business entities involved in the misuse of data. The data has been extracted from Facebook by GSR, a company formed by Aleksandr Kogan, a former Cambridge University graduate, then transferred to the parent company of Cambridge Analytica, SCL.

Extracting data, while very controversial, was not contrary to Facebook's policies, which allowed GSR to collect information not only from the users who gave their consent, but also from all their friends. This is the transfer of data from GSR to SCL that was contrary to the policies of Facebook, which the company has a long history.

After the Cambridge Analytica revelations became an international scandal, Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook had "learned from The Guardian's reporters that Kogan had shared data from his application with Cambridge Analytica" in 2015. The article detailing this Data Sharing was released on December 11, 2015.

The Attorney General of Washington DC sued Facebook for failing to protect data from Cambridge Analytica users late 2018. Facebook had requested that the case be filed and seal a document – currently being redacted in filings – the DC Attorney General had cited as evidence in his opposition to the motion to dismiss.

The document is "an email exchange between Facebook employees who are discussing how Cambridge Analytica (and others) violated Facebook's policies," according to a file filed Monday by DC's attorney general.

These emails include "candid employee ratings that multiple third-party apps have accessed and sold consumer data in violation of Facebook's policies during the 2016 US presidential election." ", depending on the file. "It also indicates that Facebook was aware of Cambridge Analytica's improper data collection practices a few months before news outlets were reporting on the issue," the report continues.

The record further baderts that "as early as September 2015, a Facebook employee based in Washington warned the company that Cambridge Analytica" was doing something that is currently being redacted and that "responses received" – also redacted – regarding "Cambridge Analytica practices in data collection"

The fact that a Facebook employee is aware of a possible improper Cambridge Analytica activity a few months before the December 2015 Guardian report appears to be new information.

Asked when Facebook employees first learned that Cambridge Analytica was violating its policies by sticking data, a Facebook spokesperson responded: "Facebook was not aware of Kogan's data transfer. / GSR at Cambridge Analytica before December 2015. When Facebook became aware of Kogan's violation of Facebook's data usage policies, we took action. "

The spokesman did not immediately respond to a follow-up question, asking when Facebook had first learned that Kogan / GSR was collecting a lot of data.

Facebook will face Friday the District of Columbia in court, where a judge will hear arguments about the company's motion to quash the lawsuit. The judge may also decide to keep the email exchange under seal.

[ad_2]
Source link