Video conference app Zoom illegally shared personal data with Facebook, even if users did not have a Facebook account, a lawsuit claims. The app has experienced a surge in popularity as millions of people around the world are forced to work from home as part of coronavirus containment measures. The lawsuit, which was filed in a California federal court on Monday, states that the company failed to inform users that their data was being sent to Facebook "and possibly other third parties". It states: "Had Zoom informed its users that it would use inadequate security measures and permit unauthorised third-party tracking of their personal information, users... would not have been willing to use the Zoom App." The allegations come amid a flurry of questions surrounding Zoom's privacy policies, with the Electronic Frontier Foundation recently warning that the app allows administrators to track the activities of attendees.

Cambridge Analytica, the firm that used data from millions of Facebook users without their knowledge, said Wednesday that it is "immediately ceasing all operations." The firm worked for President Trump's 2016 campaign. SCL Elections Ltd., Cambridge Analytica's U.K.-based parent firm, said the company had begun the process of filing for bankruptcy for Cambridge Analytica and some of its U.S. affiliates, and was moving to apply for insolvency in the U.K. "Over the past several months," the company said in a statement, "Cambridge Analytica has been the subject of numerous unfounded accusations and, despite the Company's efforts to correct the record, has been vilified for activities that are not only legal, but also widely accepted as a standard component of online advertising in both the political and commercial arenas." It also said it had "unwavering confidence that its employees have acted ethically and lawfully" after an internal investigation but that a barrage of negative media coverage drove away "virtually all" of Cambridge Analytica's customers and suppliers. In March, Britain's Channel 4 exposed Cambridge Analytica's stealthy means of supporting clients.

British data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica is at the centre of controversy in the US and UK after two newspapers reported the company harvested personal data about Facebook users beginning in 2014. Best known for assisting the 2016 presidential campaign of US President Donald Trump, Cambridge Analytica is now facing a government search of its London office, questions from US state authorities, and a demand by Facebook that it submit to a forensic audit. The UK's Information Commissioner has announced she is seeking a warrant to probe the company's servers – and also that she was forced to tell Facebook to "stand down" its own enquiries after its auditors and lawyers visited Cambridge Analytica's offices. "Such a search would potentially compromise a regulatory investigation," Elizabeth Denham said. Here is some of what is known about Cambridge Analytica.