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Facebook data gathered by Cambridge Analytica accessed from Russia, says MP Facebook data gathered by Cambridge Analytica accessed from Russia, says MP
(about 1 hour later)
Facebook data gathered by Cambridge Analytica was accessed from Russia, an MP has said.Facebook data gathered by Cambridge Analytica was accessed from Russia, an MP has said.
Damian Collins, who is leading a parliamentary inquiry into fake news, told CNN that the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) had found evidence that files were accessed from Russia and other countries.Damian Collins, who is leading a parliamentary inquiry into fake news, told CNN that the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) had found evidence that files were accessed from Russia and other countries.
The Cambridge Analytica files resulted in a multi-year investigation from the UK Information Commissioner's Office, "the most important ever", according to Elizabeth Denham, the Information Commissioner. The UK-based company, an offshoot of an American military contractor called SCL Group, offered electoral services to politicians across the world, including the Ted Cruz and Donald Trump campaigns in the US. Publicly, this included creating and buying digital advertising; privately, according to claims made in secret filming by then-CEO Alexander Nix, it may have extended to honeytrap stings and other "dark arts". (Nix now denies CA used such methods.)
In an interim report, published in July 2018, the ICO announced a number of enforcement actions against a whole spectrum of political actors, including: That depends on your definition of "work". The company was listed as a partner on Leave.EU's application to become the official Brexit campaign, and carried out some preparatory studies. But both companies say no contract was ever signed, nor money paid, and that the exploratory work wasn't used in the eventual referendum campaign.
• A £500,000 fine against Facebook for two breaches of the Data Protection act. While working on the Cruz campaign in the 2016 US election, Cambridge Analytica partnered with a Cambridge University academic, Aleksandr Kogan, to explore "psychographics", a marketing practice that involves psychologically profiling individuals and tailoring adverts to their personalities. Kogan used an app tied in to Facebook to download data from 800,000 users – and around 70 million of their friends – and used that data as the basis of his psychographic model.
• Warning letters to all 11 political parties with MPs in the House of Commons, and notices compelling them to agree to audits of their data protection practices. Two-and-a-half years after the first report in the Guardian of Kogan's use of Facebook data, the company responded, banning Kogan and Cambridge Analytica from its platform and launching an investigation into misuse of its site.
• An enforcement notice for Cambridge Analytica's parent SCL Elections to compel it to deal properly with a subject access request from US Professor David Carroll, whose data it held, which has already led to a criminal prosecution for for failing to properly deal the notice. The Information Commissioner announced an intention to levy a £500,000 fine, the maximum possible, against Facebook for two breaches of data protection laws.
• An enforcement notice for Canadian electoral services firm Aggregate IQ, ordering it to stop processing retained data belonging to UK citizens which was provided by Vote Leave.
• A notice of intent to take regulatory action against data broker Emma’s Diary, which sold data about new mothers to political parties that had been collected in a "concerning" fashion.
• Audits of the main credit reference companies.
• An audit of of the Cambridge University Psychometric Centre, where Alexander Kogan worked
He said: “I think what we want to know now is who were those people and what access did they have, and were they actually able to take some of that data themselves and use it for whatever things they wanted.”He said: “I think what we want to know now is who were those people and what access did they have, and were they actually able to take some of that data themselves and use it for whatever things they wanted.”
He added: “So is it possible, indirectly, that the Russians learned from Cambridge Analytica, and used that knowledge to run ads in America during the presidential election as well?”He added: “So is it possible, indirectly, that the Russians learned from Cambridge Analytica, and used that knowledge to run ads in America during the presidential election as well?”
Cambridge Analytica (CA) folded as a company this year, shortly after being suspended by Facebook following allegations it had amassed data on millions of voters from their profiles and misused it.Cambridge Analytica (CA) folded as a company this year, shortly after being suspended by Facebook following allegations it had amassed data on millions of voters from their profiles and misused it.
A University of Cambridge professor, Aleksandr Kogan, had passed on information to CA and others after launching a Facebook app called thisisyourdigitallife.A University of Cambridge professor, Aleksandr Kogan, had passed on information to CA and others after launching a Facebook app called thisisyourdigitallife.
It is alleged the information was used to target US voters during Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election campaign, while a whistleblower has claimed the firm had links to pro-Brexit campaigners.It is alleged the information was used to target US voters during Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election campaign, while a whistleblower has claimed the firm had links to pro-Brexit campaigners.
Kogan, who has also worked at St Petersburg State University, denied handing Facebook data to any Russian entity, telling CNN: “I don’t know what could have happened to the data once I handed it over to Cambridge Analytica so it is difficult for me to speculate.”Kogan, who has also worked at St Petersburg State University, denied handing Facebook data to any Russian entity, telling CNN: “I don’t know what could have happened to the data once I handed it over to Cambridge Analytica so it is difficult for me to speculate.”
He said that it could be down to something “innocuous”, such as a representative of CA’s parent company, SCL Elections, remotely accessing the server to see the files while in Russia.He said that it could be down to something “innocuous”, such as a representative of CA’s parent company, SCL Elections, remotely accessing the server to see the files while in Russia.
Last week the ICO announced it proposed to bring criminal action against SCL Elections, and revealed that the total number of users to have had their data harvested stood at an estimated 87 million.Last week the ICO announced it proposed to bring criminal action against SCL Elections, and revealed that the total number of users to have had their data harvested stood at an estimated 87 million.
It also said it intended to fine Facebook a maximum £500,000 for two breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998.It also said it intended to fine Facebook a maximum £500,000 for two breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998.
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