Facebook has been fined £500,000 ($664,000) in the U.K. for its conduct in the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal.
Facebook has been fined £500,000 in the U.K., the maximum fine allowed by the UK’s Data Protection Act 1998, for failing to protect users’ personal information.
Political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica improperly collected data of 87 million Facebook users and misused it.
“Today’s progress report gives details of some of the organisations and individuals under investigation, as well as enforcement actions so far.
This includes the ICO’s intention to fine Facebook a maximum £500,000 for two breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998.” reads the announcement published by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.
“Facebook, with Cambridge Analytica, has been the focus of the investigation since February when evidence emerged that an app had been used to harvest the data of 50 million Facebook users across the world. This is now estimated at 87 million.
The ICO’s investigation concluded that Facebook contravened the law by failing to safeguard people’s information. It also found that the company failed to be transparent about how people’s data was harvested by others.”
This is the first possible financial punishment that Facebook is facing for the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
“A significant finding of the ICO investigation is the conclusion that Facebook has not been sufficiently transparent to enable users to understand how and why they might be targeted by a political party or campaign,” reads ICO’s report.
Obviously, the financial penalty is negligible compared to the gains of the giant of social networks, but it is a strong message to all the company that must properly manage users’ personal information in compliance with the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
What would have happened if the regulation had already been in force at the time of disclosure?
According to the GDPR, the penalties allowed under the new privacy regulation are much greater, fines could reach up to 4% of the global turnover, that in case of Facebook are estimated at $1.9 billion.
“Facebook has failed to provide the kind of protections they are required to under the Data Protection Act.” Elizabeth Denham, the UK’s Information Commissioner said. “People cannot have control over their own data if they don’t know or understand how it is being used. That’s why greater and genuine transparency about the use of data analytics is vital.”
Facebook still has a chance to respond to the ICO’s Notice of Intent before a final decision on the fine is made.
“In line with our approach, we have served Facebook with a Notice setting
out the detail of our areas of concern and invited their representations on
these and any action we propose. ” concludes the ICO update on the investigation published today by Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham.
“Their representations are due later this month, and we have taken no final view on the merits of the case at this time. We will consider carefully any representations Facebook may wish to make before finalising our views,”
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(Security Affairs – Facebook, Cambridge Analytica)
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