UK data watchdog ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) announced yesterday, July 10, that Facebook needs to pay a preliminary fine of $664,000 in regards to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. This opens the door for governments to draw more suffering over the tech giant via penalties and regulations wielding the same issue.
The Facebook fine by ICO is based on specific reasons that Facebook didn’t have strong privacy protections and overlooked vital signs of warning against Cambridge. These signs are said to have had the potential to stop Cambridge’s effort to manipulate public opinion for simple business reasons, like endorsing its clients across the globe.
However, this penalty may later be altered as ICO is in further talks with Facebook. The agency has promised the next update in October.
We have been working closely with the ICO in their investigation of Cambridge Analytica, just as we have with authorities in the US and other countries. We’re reviewing the report and will respond to the ICO soon. – Erin Egan, Facebook’s chief privacy officer
ICO said that it revealed its initial findings, something they don’t normally do, due to high public interest in the issue. These findings indicate that Facebook is only starting to feel the real heat. UK’s collaborative investigations with the Federal Trade Commission of the USA, FBI, and the Security and Exchange Commission are now being encouraged ahead.
As per ICO’s report of the findings, Facebook is guilty of allowing Aleksandr Kogan to develop an app that collected user data on behalf of Cambridge Analytica. Although Facebook withdrew the permission of apps to collect such kinds of info in 2015, ICO says that many users weren’t ‘sufficiently informed that their data was accessible in this way.’
Stay tuned to get more of this new fallout spree on Facebook regarding the Cambridge Analytica issue.
