Facebook announced it's hired forensic auditors to investigate whether Cambridge Analytica still holds data collected on Facebook users. However, an initial visit to CA was suspended after the UK Information Commissioner's Office ordered the company to stand down while it collects its own evidence.
Meanwhile, Facebook's share price fell nearly 7 percent the day after reports it may have allowed user data to be accessed inappropriately by third parties, without user consent. In addition to the threat of regulatory fines from privacy or consumer protection watchdogs, the news could also put off users of the social network, with a #deletefacebook campaign already started on Twitter.
Facebook said it hired the digital forensics firm Stroz Friedberg to conduct an audit of Cambridge Analytica and determine whether it still holds data on Facebook users. CA has agreed to comply and afford the firm complete access to their servers and systems, the company said.
Facebook said this is part of a "comprehensive internal and external review" that will "determine the accuracy of the claims that the Facebook data in question still exists". The company claims that it was assured by Cambridge Analytica in 2015 that the data collected on Facebook users was deleted. "If this data still exists, it would be a grave violation of Facebook’s policies and an unacceptable violation of trust and the commitments these groups made," the company said.
ICO investigates, FTC quiet
Stroz Friedberg visited Cambridge Analytica’s London office the day after the story broke. Its visit was halted after the UK Information Commissioner’s Office announced it was pursuing a warrant to conduct its own on-site investigation.
The ICO confirmed it's investigating the case as part of an ongoing investigation into the use of data analytics for political purposes. The investigation was launched last year to consider how political parties and campaigns, data analytics companies and social media platforms are using and analysing people’s personal information to micro target voters. The ICO said "any criminal and civil enforcement actions arising from the investigation will be pursued vigorously".
While much of the data thought to have been used by Cambridge Analytics was on US voters, the Federal Trade Commission, in charge of consumer protection in the US, has not commented on the case. Facebook remains subject to the terms of a settlement agreed with the FTC in 2011 after the regulator found privacy violations at the social network. Facebook committed to informing customers clearly about how their data is used under the 20-year deal and could face fines if the FTC finds it violated the settlement terms.
Chief information security officer to leave
Facebook's public statements on the CA case have so far come from Paul Grewal, VP & Deputy General Counsel. The New York Times reports that Facebook's chief information security officer, Alex Stamos is preparing to step down after disagreeing with others at the company about how to handle the matter.
Stamos, who plans to leave Facebook by August, had advocated greater disclosure about Russian interference in the social network during recent election campaigns. He also called for restructuring to better address the issues, but was met with resistance by colleagues, current and former Facebook employees told the paper. In December, Stamos’s day-to-day responsibilities were reassigned to others, they added.
Stamos admitted the disagreements with colleagues, while noting "these are really challenging issues". On Twitter, he said he was "still fully engaged with my work at Facebook" and acknowledged that his role has changed, without addressing his future plans.
