The FTC has ruled that Cambridge Analytica deceived tens of millions of Facebook users by harvesting their personal data. The FTC recently confirmed the allegations made in July, stating that the company aimed to influence the 2016 elections. The FTC stated that the app specifically told users that it would not collect personally identifiable information, yet it collected and used their personal data to create targeted political ads. New evidence shows to Cambridge Analytica claimed it participated in the Privacy Sheild data transfer agreement between the US and the EU, but its certification was no longer applicable at the time.
Cambridge Analytica is now required to continue to apply Privacy Sheild protections to personal information it collected while conducting the program, as well as delete information harvested through the GSRApp. Earlier this year, the FTC fined Facebook a record $5 billion for inconsistencies that allowed a third-party app developed to mislead customers and harvest personally identifiable information on users without obtaining consent. Cambridge Analytica filed for bankruptcy in 2018, but have agreed to settle the FTC’s allegations.
