US turns the screws on Facebook after Cambridge Analytica abuses
Washington — The leading US consumer protection regulator and attorneys representing 37 states have stepped up pressure on Facebook to explain how the social network allowed data of 50-million users get into the hands of a political consultancy. The US federal trade commission took the unusual step of announcing that it had opened an investigation into the company, citing reports that raise what it called "substantial concerns about the privacy practices of Facebook". A bipartisan coalition of 37 state attorneys has written to Facebook, demanding to know more about the company’s role in the manipulation of users’ data by the consultancy, Cambridge Analytica, which used it to target US and British voters. "These revelations raise serious questions concerning Facebook’s policies and practices, and the processes in place to ensure they are followed," the letter said. "We need to know that users can trust Facebook. With the information we have now, our trust has been broken." Facebook s...
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