Data collected legally but passed on illegally: The Cambridge Analytica case could have expensive consequences for Facebook.

What would happen if Facebook, as well as its services Instagram and WhatsApp, were to close tomorrow? Would you pursue your social media activities elsewhere or would you “not feel like it” anymore? Would this be an opportunity for new networks?

Or: Would you fundamentally rethink your social media behavior in general?

What's happened

A few days ago it was published in the “ New York Times ” and the “ London Observer ” that a very large amount of data was collected in 2015 via Facebook using a gaming app/character test app (“thisisyourdigitallife”) were evaluated, were passed on illegally.

The releases or this type of data collection on such a large scale was possible until spring 2014. During this period, the interface (API) on Facebook was changed.

Collecting data via a large number of apps is nothing new and nothing surprising; we have reported on this in what feels like hundreds of articles about similar apps (which have nothing to do with this incident) and also pointed out their dangers. Regardless of whether applications like “ Your soulmate ” or “ Your Wikipedia page ”, these apps legally (!) require a certain level of approval for your account and thus collect your data with your approval.

That's exactly what happened here and Facebook also admitted it in its own newsroom :

The claim that this is a data breach is completely false.
Aleksandr Kogan requested and gained access to information from users who chose to sign up to his app, and everyone involved gave their consent. People knowingly provided their information, no systems were infiltrated, and no passwords or sensitive pieces of information were stolen or hacked. (The claim that this was a data breach is completely false. Aleksandr Kogan requested and received access to information from users who opted into his app, and everyone involved gave their consent. Information was knowingly provided, no systems infiltrated, no passwords or sensitive information stolen or hacked - translation via DeepL )

The problem is, as we have described again and again, that in the end you can never say exactly where this data ends up and who works with it. Let’s now go back to “thisisyourdigitallife” and break it down a little more simply: The data collected legally via this app was, judging by the publications, passed on illegally. Not just to any third party, but also to Cambridge Analytica. If you would like to look at the complex interaction of this data collection, we recommend the clear article “ Hogwarts Analytica ” by Jürgen Hermes.

Cambridge Analytica received information from the very person who created the “thisisyourdigitallife” app and through it gained access to the Facebook accounts. This has now been revealed by several consistent media reports. The company Cambridge Analytica therefore gained unauthorized access to around 50 million Facebook profiles. According to media reports, this data was used in 2016 to specifically design election advertising for Trump.

Also annoying, as you could see from the example of the Soul Mate game , it's not always just your own data that is passed on, but also the data of third parties who have never agreed to these games. Because that’s exactly what the app thisisyourdigitallife did. The election advertising was now designed specifically based on the character traits of the people behind the accounts.

Suspended

Facebook has also reacted to this and has already suspended Cambridge Analytica. In the newsroom, Facebook said:

We are suspending Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL), including their political data analytics firm, Cambridge Analytica, from Facebook.
Given the public prominence of this organization, we want to take a moment to explain how we came to this decision and why. (We are suspending Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL), including their political data analysis company, Cambridge Analytica, from Facebook. Given the public importance of this organization, we want to take a moment to explain how we came to this decision and why . – Translation via DeepL )

trigger

Interesting at this point: The trigger for the whole story was Christopher Wylie, a former employee (or, according to Cambridge Analytica, an external employee) of Cambridge Analytica. It all sounds a bit like an agent movie, but according to Wylie, he has now been blocked by Facebook on both Facebook and Instagram .

Logically, an illegal transfer of data would likely have consequences for Cambridge Analytica. But the Washington Post has now published that Facebook could also feel expensive consequences

Vladeck, now a professor at Georgetown Law, said violations of the consent decree could carry a penalty of $40,000 per violation, meaning that if news reports that the data of 50 million people were shared proves true, the company's possible exposure runs into the trillions of dollars.
Vladeck said that such a fine is unlikely but that the final penalty still could be very large. (Vladeck, now a professor at Georgetown Law, said that violations of the consent decree could carry a penalty of $40,000 per violation, meaning that if the news reports about data on 50 million people prove accurate, the possible revelation about the company in which runs into trillions of dollars. Vladeck said that such a fine is unlikely, but that the final penalty could still be very high - translation in part via DeepL ).

What we take from it...

As already described: character games and name tests may be legal in principle and appear harmless, but in the end you can never know who is peddling this data, where it ends up and who then works with it.

YOU are responsible for the releases, YOU are responsible for your data. It's actually quite simple. Think first - then IF IN DOUBT, don't click.


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )