Cambridge Analytica: 87m hit by Facebook data leak
Facebook admits almost twice as many people as first thought - including 1m in the UK - were caught up in scandal
Facebook has revealed that Cambridge Analytica may have improperly accessed the data of up to 87 million people – 37 million more than previously reported.
The social network’s chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer made the admission at the end of a “lengthy – and somewhat unrelated – blog post” on Wednesday, Wired reports.
It said data from more than 70 million American Facebook users may have been shared with Cambridge Analytica, and more than one million users from the UK were similarly affected.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The remaining accounts were distributed around the world, including a million each in Indonesia and the Philippines, and more than 500,000 in Mexico, Canada and India.
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has admitted the company made mistakes in the way it handled and protected user data, but has waved off suggestions he should step down over the scandal.
“I started this place, I run it, I’m responsible for what happens here,” he said. “I’m going to do the best job I can going forward. I’m not looking to throw anyone under the bus for mistakes I’ve made.”
Facebook has announced a number of measures it says will tighten control over access to user data by third-party app developers.
It will also be removing a tool that allows people to search for someone on Facebook using their phone number or email address, The Guardian reports, after the company found that “malicious actors have also abused these features to scrape public profile information”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The growing thirst for camel milk
Under the radar Climate change and health-conscious consumers are pushing demand for nutrient-rich product – and the growth of industrialised farming
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Good riddance to the televised presidential debate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in bullish WNBA Draft
Speed Read As expected, she went to the Indiana Fever
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How technology helps and harms endangered languages
Under the radar Languages are disappearing at fastest rate in history, accelerated by digital dominance of English
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How social media is limiting political content
The Explainer Critics say Meta's 'extraordinary move' to have less politics in users' feeds could be 'actively muzzling civic action'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Twitter's year of Elon Musk: what happens next?
Why Everyone's Talking About 'Your platform is dying', says one commentator, but new CEO is aiming for profitability next year
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Turns out Facebook isn't as polarizing as previously thought
Talking Point New studies show that, contrary to prior belief, the algorithm has little effect on driving polarization
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Mark Zuckerberg vs. Elon Musk: a tale of the tech tape
Under the Radar The two men challenged each other to a fight after years of sniping
By Justin Klawans Published
-
How greater online regulation is prompting fears of a ‘splinternet’
feature Government pressure worldwide means the internet is not as open as it once was
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Donald Trump, the Pope and the disruptive power of AI images
feature AI-generated deepfakes blur reality and could be used for political disinformation or personal blackmail
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Supreme Court, Section 230 and the future of the internet
feature Lawsuits brought against tech giants could have far-reaching consequences for the internet as we know it
By Richard Windsor Published