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The Great Hack: the film that goes behind the scenes of the Facebook data scandal

#artificialintelligence

Cambridge Analytica may have become the byword for a scandal, but it's not entirely clear that anyone knows exactly what that scandal is. It's more like toxic word association: "Facebook", "data", "harvested", "weaponised", "Trump" and, in this country, most controversially, "Brexit". It was a media firestorm that's yet to be extinguished, a year on from whistleblower Christopher Wylie's revelations in the Observer and the New York Times about how the company acquired the personal data of tens of millions of Facebook users in order to target them in political campaigns. This week sees the release of The Great Hack, a Netflix documentary that is the first feature-length attempt to gather all the strands of the affair into some sort of narrative – though it is one contested even by those appearing in the film. "This is not about one company," Julian Wheatland, the ex-chief operating officer of Cambridge Analytica, claims at one point. "This technology is going on unabated and will continue to go on unabated.[…] There was always going to be a Cambridge Analytica. It just sucks to me that it's Cambridge Analytica."


Mark Zuckerberg lied to Congress about Facebook data scandal, Congressman claims

The Independent - Tech

If you haven't done this already, do it now. In Settings, hit the Privacy tab. From here, you can control who gets to see your future posts and friends list. Choose from Public, Friends, Only Me and Custom in the dropdown menu. Annoyingly, changing this has no effect on who's able to see your past Facebook posts.


Facebook Data Scandal: EU Parliament Member: Mark Zuckerberg's Testimony 'A Farce'

International Business Times

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's highly anticipated testimony in front of European Union Parliament came and went Tuesday. Initially a private session, Zuckerberg agreed to let the event be livestreamed at the last minute, but transparency concerns lingered due to a question-and-answer format that ultimately left parliament members unsatisfied. Zuckerberg gave an opening statement before parliament members provided lists of questions on various topics. He was then given time to answer whatever questions he felt like answering after they had all been asked, with no opportunity for follow-up questions from the 12 Parliament members. Parliament member Udo Bullman of Germany called the meeting's format a "farce" in a statement.


Facebook Data Scandal: Zuckerberg To Apologize To EU Lawmakers Over Facebook Data Leak

International Business Times

BRUSSELS - Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg arrived to meet European Union lawmakers on Tuesday ready to apologize for a massive data leak, in his latest attempt to draw a line under a scandal that has rocked the world's biggest social media network. Zuckerberg agreed to meet leaders of the European Parliament to answer questions about how political consultancy Cambridge Analytica improperly got hold of the personal data of 87 million Facebook users, including up to 2.7 million in the EU. According to pre-released remarks, Zuckerberg will say it has become clear "over the last couple of years that we haven't done enough to prevent the tools we've built from being used for harm as well." "Whether it's fake news, foreign interference in elections or developers misusing people's information, we didn't take a broad enough view of our responsibilities. That was a mistake, and I'm sorry." His comments echo an apology last month to U.S. lawmakers, but questions remain over how Facebook let the leak happen and whether it is doing enough to prevent a recurrence.


Cambridge Analytica Closing Operations After Facebook Data Scandal

WSJ.com: WSJD - Technology

The company decided to close its doors because it was losing clients and facing mounting legal fees in the Facebook investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. SCL Group and SCL Elections, which are affiliated with Cambridge Analytica, also are shutting down in the U.S. and the U.K. Cambridge Analytica and SCL Elections issued a joint statement on Wednesday confirming the companies' closures. "Over the past several months, Cambridge Analytica has been the subject of numerous unfounded accusations," the statement said. "The siege of media coverage has driven away virtually all of the company's customers and suppliers. As a result, it has been determined that it is no longer viable to continue operating the business."


Facebook Data Scandal: Political Consulting Firm Cambridge Analytica Declares Bankruptcy

International Business Times

Facebook's reputation took a massive hit earlier this year when it was revealed that it had improperly provided user data to UK-based political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. However, the damage appeared to be much greater in the other direction, as the controversial Cambridge Analytica announced Wednesday that it would cease operations and file for bankruptcy. Cambridge Analytica is shutting down. The firm with ties to Trump's campaign says the Facebook data scandal drove away business. The firm announced its closure in a statement on its website.


Cambridge Analytica fights back on Facebook data scandal

The Japan Times

LONDON – Cambridge Analytica unleashed its counterattack against claims that it misused data from millions of Facebook accounts, saying Tuesday it is the victim of misunderstandings and inaccurate reporting that portrays the company as the evil villain in a James Bond movie. Clarence Mitchell, a high-profile publicist recently hired to represent the company, held Cambridge Analytica's first news conference since allegations surfaced that the Facebook data helped Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election. Christopher Wylie, a former employee of Cambridge Analytica's parent, also claims that the company has links to the successful campaign to take Britain out of the European Union. "The company has been portrayed in some quarters as almost some Bond villain," Mitchell said. "Cambridge Analytica is no Bond villain."


Facebook data scandal: Researcher said company response just 'PR spin'

USATODAY - Tech Top Stories

The researcher whose quiz app sparked a data scandal at Facebook said the social network's stance blaming him is just "PR spin." During an interview Monday morning with NBC's Today show, Alexander Kogan said the data he collected through the app was no different than what other researchers have done working with Facebook. "If I knew the project was going to make them upset I would never do it," said Kogan. "A lot of other developers collected way more data and cared a lot less about their relationship with Facebook." Kogan has been blamed by Facebook for inappropriately sharing user data with Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm, which then used it to launch targeted advertising during the 2016 presidential election.


Second Cambridge Analytica CEO Steps Down Amid Facebook Data Scandal

NPR Technology

A laptop showing the Facebook logo is held alongside a Cambridge Analytica sign at the entrance to the London offices of Cambridge Analytica. The company's acting CEO, Alexander Tayler, is stepping down, and is the second CEO out since the data sharing scandal broke. A laptop showing the Facebook logo is held alongside a Cambridge Analytica sign at the entrance to the London offices of Cambridge Analytica. The company's acting CEO, Alexander Tayler, is stepping down, and is the second CEO out since the data sharing scandal broke. The acting chief executive officer of Cambridge Analytica, the political data firm embroiled in controversy after improperly sharing data from some 87 million Facebook users, has stepped down.


Millions of Europeans affected by Facebook data scandal, EU reveals

The Independent - Tech

The European Union says that Facebook has told it that up to 2.7 million people in the 28-nation bloc may have been victim of improper data sharing involving political data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica. Now the EU says that it will ask the data protection authorities in its various countries to work together and investigate the site for the abuse of data. As the data sharing scandal has spread, estimates of the number of people caught up in it have increased. This week, Facebook said that at least 87 million people across the world had been affected by it. Many of those people are outside of Europe.