Facebook Agrees to Pay Meagre UK Fine Over Cambridge Analytica Scandal

On Wednesday the ICO said that in dropping its appeal and agreeing to pay the fine, Facebook had not made an admission of liability.

Facebook Agrees to Pay Meagre UK Fine Over Cambridge Analytica Scandal

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has faced questioning by US and EU lawmakers over user data flaw

Highlights
  • Facebook has agreed to pay GBP 500,000 fine for data protection breaches
  • The ICO said Facebook had not made an admission of liability
  • However, Facebook said it was pleased to have reached a settlement
Advertisement

Facebook has agreed to pay a GBP 500,000 (roughly Rs. 4.57 crores) fine for breaches of data protection law related to the harvesting of data by consultancy Cambridge Analytica, Britain's information rights regulator said on Wednesday.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has faced questioning by US and EU lawmakers over how the political consultancy obtained the personal data of 87 million Facebook users from a researcher.

The Information Commissioner's Office issued the small but symbolic fine last year after it said data from at least one million British users had been among the information harvested by Cambridge Analytica and used for political purposes.

On Wednesday the ICO said that in dropping its appeal and agreeing to pay the fine, Facebook had not made an admission of liability.

"The ICO's main concern was that UK citizen data was exposed to a serious risk of harm. Protection of personal information and personal privacy is of fundamental importance," said ICO Deputy Commissioner James Dipple-Johnstone.

"We are pleased to hear that Facebook has taken, and will continue to take, significant steps to comply with the fundamental principles of data protection."

Facebook said it was pleased to have reached a settlement and the company wished it had done more to investigate the claims about Cambridge Analytica in 2015.

"We made major changes to our platform back then, significantly restricting the information app developers could access," said Harry Kinmouth, Facebook's Associate General Counsel.

"Protecting people's information and privacy is a top priority for Facebook, and we are continuing to build new controls to help people protect and manage their information."

© Thomson Reuters 2019

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Facebook, Cambridge Analytica
Redmi Y3 Starts Receiving MIUI 11 Global Stable Update in India, Users Report
WeWork Said to Be in Early Stages of Forming an Electronic-Gaming Arm
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »