Britain Fines Facebook $645,000 Over Cambridge Analytica Scandal
PUNISHED
Maximum fine of $645,000.
Reuters / Henry Nicholls
Britain’s information watchdog has has slapped Facebook with a maximum possible fine of £500,000 ($644,000) for its behavior in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The Information Commissioner upheld a decision made in July to fine the social media giant for giving app developers access to data from at least one million British users without their informed consent. The fine was the maximum allowed under the law at the time the breach but it would have been significantly higher if it took place now that new EU data protection rules are in effect. Facebook was heavily criticized following the allegations that Cambridge Analytica used data from tens of millions of Facebook accounts to profile voters and help U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign.
