FTC Investigating Facebook After Cambridge Analytica Revelations

MENLO PARK, CA — The Federal Trade Commission is reportedly investigating Facebook following revelations that a data analytics firm improperly gained access to the personal information of millions of Facebook's users and then used that data to help Donald Trump's campaign.

Former Cambridge Analytica employee Chris Wylie said the U.K.-based company used Facebook data — including names, “likes” and other information — to construct psychological profiles of Facebook users. Those users could then be targeted with ads and stories.

In November 2011, Facebook reached a settlement with the FTC to end an investigation into whether the social media giant misled its users about their privacy protections. The FTC accused Facebook of deceiving consumers by "telling them they could keep their information on Facebook private, and then repeatedly allowing it to be shared and made public."

The agency listed eight promises that Facebook made to users and allegedly failed to keep, including changing its website so certain information that was designated as private – such as users' friends lists – was made public without their permission or knowledge.

The issue reportedly at hand in the latest investigation stems from those FTC allegations. The agency also said Facebook misrepresented that third-party apps installed by users would only be able to access user information that they "needed to operate." In reality, the apps "could access nearly all of users' personal data – data the apps didn't need," the FTC said.

Roughly 270,000 users downloaded Cambridge Analytica's app, The Washington Post reported, and around 50 million people could have been affected.

Rob Sherman, Facebook's deputy chief privacy officer, told the newspaper in a statement that they remain "strongly committed to protecting people’s information." He said they welcome the opportunity to answer any of the agency's questions.

Facebook previously vehemently denied allegations that it had breached the 2011 settlement.

An FTC spokeswoman told The New York Times in a statement they were "aware of the issues that have been raised" but couldn't comment on whether an investigation was ongoing.

“We take any allegations of violations of our consent decrees very seriously," the statement said.

A British parliamentary committee has also asked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to provide evidence into an investigation into fake news.

Damian Collins, chairman of the U.K. parliamentary media committee, said Tuesday his group has repeatedly asked Facebook how it uses data and that Facebook officials "have been misleading to the committee."

Collins said it "is now time to hear from a senior Facebook executive with the sufficient authority to give an accurate account of this catastrophic failure of process."

Addressing Zuckerberg directly, Collins added: "I hope this representative will be you."

Elizabeth Denham, Britain's information commissioner, said she is using all her legal powers to investigate the handling of personal data by both companies, including pursuing a search warrant for Cambridge Analytica's servers.

Photo credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images