This is a big deal. Cambridge Analytica accessed Facebook user data w/o authorization, using that data for the tailored voter analysis that decided the 2016 election.
Why was this released 9:30 PM Friday on St. Patrick’s Day weekend? Because the implications are that none of your data was/is safe on Facebook and, yes, FB data directly helped swing the election.
To be fair, the privacy violations stem from a 3rd party app. Arguably, the problem is Facebook app review. But allowing 3rd party apps to access/transfer this much personal data is a failure in Privacy by Design (@AnnCavoukian).
Whether this qualifies as a data breach (thus triggering data breach notification laws) is a good Q. One factor = if the unauthorized transfer of data collected w/consent qualifies as unauthorized acquisition by Cambridge Analytica.
Facebook also released this statement conveniently on the same day that @profcarroll's lawsuit against Cambridge Analytica was officially filed. slate.com/blogs/future_t… (Link is an @aprilaser explainer from Oct 2017.)
Legal issues:
-Could qualify as a data breach from Facebook (state law)
-Could be criminal or civil fraud - by Cambridge Analytica & co, not FB
-Could be a CFAA violation - also by CA, not FB (HT @markpmckenna)
-Almost definitely open for FTC action - all parties
-Could qualify as a data breach from Facebook (state law)
-Could be criminal or civil fraud - by Cambridge Analytica & co, not FB
-Could be a CFAA violation - also by CA, not FB (HT @markpmckenna)
-Almost definitely open for FTC action - all parties
...And there it is. Facebook statement was a last minute bid to get ahead of breaking news re: Cambridge Analytica whistleblower.
theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/… via @carolecadwalla @guardian
theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/… via @carolecadwalla @guardian
More bad news on Facebook & Cambridge Analytica, via @nytimes. This will have lasting effects on data privacy, internet regulation, & our understanding of how social media, the Internet, & the attention economy affect our world.
nytimes.com/2018/03/17/us/…
nytimes.com/2018/03/17/us/…
Facebook CSO @alexstamos speaks out re: Cambridge Analytica. Thread:
FB may have a valid claim that this isn't a technical/legal "data breach." It's certainly what I would claim if I was counsel for FB. Still other legal & ethical issues at play though.
FB may have a valid claim that this isn't a technical/legal "data breach." It's certainly what I would claim if I was counsel for FB. Still other legal & ethical issues at play though.
Massachusetts AG @massAGO is now investigating Facebook & Cambridge Analytica. Not surprising. MA is one of the strictest states re: privacy & cybersecurity. (U.S. doesn't have nat'l privacy/cybersec laws; state laws are key.) HT @clancynewyork
Cambridge Analytica has now responded to the Facebook news. I’ll just leave these screenshots here w/o comment.
Full thread:
Full thread:
looks at some ways the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal might impact society, quoting me on Facebook’s two-sided legal strategy (breach vs. no breach). theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/…
Facebook critics in government want regulation, investigation after data misuse reuters.com/article/us-fac… via @Reuters
![“We are compelled by our mission [to] provide information to everyone, and [China is] 20 percent of the world's population.”](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dpopvc_WsAEh4LW.jpg)
