Facebook faces fine in the UK as part of the Cambridge Analytica scandal

Facebook is accused by the UK privacy authority to allow Cambridge Analytica to misread key data from millions of dollars 39; users.

The UK Information Commissioner's Office announced a preliminary fine of 500,000 pounds ($ 664,000) on Tuesday after finding that the social media giant had not protected the data users and had not been transparent. what user data was obtained by others. The fine – the maximum amount allowed – comes after revelations that 87 million Facebook users have been incorrectly shared with Cambridge Analytica, a digital consulting firm linked to the Trump campaign.
[Traduction] "We are at a crossroads: trust in the integrity of our democratic processes risks being disrupted because the average voter has no idea what is going on. goes behind the scenes, "said Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham. "People can not control their own data if they do not know and do not understand how they are used."

"As we have already said, we should have done more to investigate Cambridge Analytica's claims and take action in 2015," said Erin Egan, Chief Privacy Officer of Facebook. . "We worked closely with ICO in the Cambridge Analytica survey, just as we did with US and foreign authorities. We are analyzing the report and will be responding to ICO soon."

The fine of the OIC is a fraction of the amount that the social media giant could face in comparison to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which provides for a fine of up to 39%. to 20 million euros or 4% of the global annual income of a company. from the previous year.

Facebook's annual revenue in 2017 was nearly $ 40 billion, which would imply a possible fine of $ 1.6 billion.

Facebook discovered Cambridge Analytica in 2015, but did not inform the public. Instead, the company has asked all involved parties to destroy the information. But not all data has been removed, according to reports.

As a result of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook warned users affected by data abuse.