Two weeks ago, a whistleblower named Christopher Wylie exposed a massive data breach at Facebook. He revealed that Facebook sold user data to a murky behavioral-change consulting firm called Cambridge Analytica, a secretive data analysis firm based in the UK. If you’re unfamiliar with Cambridge Analytica’s tactics, think of them as Emperor Palpatine – Not quite the raw notoriety of a Darth Vader, more the shadowy figure running all the chaos behind the scenes.
Cambridge Analytica was able to harvest at least 50 million Facebook users’ information without their permission in order to create micro-targeting profiles – everything from where you live, your shopping habits, even the medication you take – then used that information to exploit the last political cycle in ways never before seen. Who sold Cambridge Analytica all that sensitive information? Facebook did of course. If this scenario sounds bad, one ex-Facebook exec called it, “Utterly Horrifying”. The FTC has now confirmed a formal investigation of Facebook is underway.
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