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Facebook will pay $5 billion fine for Cambridge Analytica data breaches
The Federal Trade Commission has announced that Facebook will pay a massive fine in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The social network will pay $5 billion to settle the charge that it broke a 2012 FTC order concerning the privacy of user data. And, as part of the settlement, Facebook has had to agree to a new management structure and new rules about how it manages user data.
Senators grill FTC over reported $5 billion Facebook settlement
Facebook's reported $5 billion settlement with the FTC isn't even official yet, but that isn't stopping politicians from bristling at it. Senators Richard Blumenthal, Josh Hawley and Ed Markey (pictured) have sent a letter to the FTC requesting answers about the rumored settlement, expressing worries that the penalty would be "woefully inadequate" given privacy violations like the Cambridge Analytica affair. The questions cover not just the rationale behind the supposed deal, but the evidence gathering methods and punishments beyond the fine.
Judge demands Facebook hand over data privacy records
Facebook will have to hand over emails and records related to how it handled the Cambridge Analytica scandal. In September, shareholders sued the company in order to obtain information pertaining to the leak. Today, a US judge sided with shareholders, ordering Facebook to release the documents.
Facebook will be liable for future Cambridge Analytica-style scandals
Facebook is updating its terms and conditions after agreeing several changes with the EU. It will have to clearly explain to users they can access the social network for free because it uses targeted ads that rely on user data. Facebook will also have to disclose what revenues it generates through the use of such data.
Facebook knew about Cambridge Analytica prior to 'Guardian' exposé
Facebook has admitted that it suspected Cambridge Analytica of scraping data from the platform even before the first reports about its massive data collection were published. The Guardian has learned about the social network's suspicion from a court filing by Washington DC's attorney general's office, which sued the company over the scandal. That filing opposed Facebook's motion to seal one of the documents the attorney general submitted to the court: an email exchange between the social network's senior managers revealing that they knew of CA's "improper data-gathering practices" as early as September 2015. The Guardian didn't publish its first piece on Cambridge Analytica until December 2015, and the scandal didn't blow up until 2018.
Facebook might be facing a hefty fine from the FTC
Since reports revealed last March that Facebook had allowed Cambridge Analytica to access the personal information of 87 million of its users, there's been a fair amount of fallout. CEO Mark Zuckerberg was questioned during multiple Congressional hearings, more stringent privacy bills have been proposed and adopted, and comprehensive privacy regulations have at least been considered. But so far, not a lot has happened to Facebook itself, though that might be about to change.
Washington, DC sues Facebook over Cambridge Analytica scandal
Washington, DC's attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Facebook over the Cambridge Analytica scandal that unfolded earlier this year. The suit comes just after the New York Times released a report detailing new information about Facebook's extensive data sharing practices, and sources told the Washington Post that the lawsuit could be amended in order to incorporate some of the more recent charges made against the company.
FBI, SEC and FTC are also investigating Facebook's data leak
Facebook has to deal with multiple federal agencies simultaneously investigating its role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. According to The Washington Post, the FBI, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have joined the DOJ's probe into the two companies. The New York Times reported back in May that the FBI and the DOJ are looking into the political consulting firm, but it sounds like the probe is much bigger than that.
