The race is on to probe Facebook’s massive data scandal
The social network and authorities both want to find out what happened to data shared with Cambridge Analytica.
The news: Facebook has engaged forensic auditors to examine whether Cambridge Analytica (CA) kept data about millions of Facebook users gleaned from an academic study. CA has said it will comply with the investigation.
Meanwhile: UK officials are seeking a warrant to enter CA’s headquarters as part of their own probe, and they say Facebook should halt its audit over fears of prejudicing the investigation. The EU is also planning a separate probe, and sources tell Bloomberg that the US Federal Trade Commission is already working on one too.
There's more: The scandal wiped $37 billion off Facebook’s market cap on March 20, and rumors swirled that the company’s chief security officer would soon be leaving.
And more: CA’s chief executive, Alexander Nix (pictured), was recorded by undercover TV reporters in the UK boasting about how the firm could use spies and sex scandals to influence the outcome of elections.
Data fallout: Researchers fear the scandal will make Facebook less willing to share data. That could make it harder to understand how it’s shaping all our lives.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
A Roomba recorded a woman on the toilet. How did screenshots end up on Facebook?
Robot vacuum companies say your images are safe, but a sprawling global supply chain for data from our devices creates risk.
A startup says it’s begun releasing particles into the atmosphere, in an effort to tweak the climate
Make Sunsets is already attempting to earn revenue for geoengineering, a move likely to provoke widespread criticism.
10 Breakthrough Technologies 2023
These exclusive satellite images show that Saudi Arabia’s sci-fi megacity is well underway
Weirdly, any recent work on The Line doesn’t show up on Google Maps. But we got the images anyway.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.