Meta Platforms—Facebook allowed Cambridge Analytica to harvest personal data of 87 million users for political manipulation
In March 2018, it was revealed that political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica had harvested the personal data of up to 87 million Facebook users without consent via a personality quiz app. Facebook had known about the misuse since 2015 but took no public action. The data was used for political targeting in the 2016 US presidential election. The scandal wiped over $100 billion from Facebook's market value and led to Zuckerberg testifying before Congress.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Transparency | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Misinformation | +toward | secondary | -0.50 |
| User Privacy | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.453 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (critical ×2) × confidence (0.68)× agency (negligent ×0.5)
Evidence (2 signals)
Facebook confirmed 87 million users affected by Cambridge Analytica data harvesting
On April 4, 2018, Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer confirmed the number of users whose data was improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica was 87 million, higher than the initial estimate of 50 million. Facebook announced privacy changes restricting third-party app access.
NYT and Guardian revealed Cambridge Analytica harvested data of 87 million Facebook users
The New York Times and The Guardian simultaneously published investigations on March 17, 2018, revealing that Cambridge Analytica used a personality quiz app to harvest personal data from up to 87 million Facebook users without consent. Whistleblower Christopher Wylie provided key evidence. Facebook had known about the misuse since 2015.