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=The Cambridge Analytica Scandal=
''The Cambridge Analytica Scandal'' involved the unauthorized harvesting of personal data from millions of Facebook users, which was then used for psychographic profiling and targeted political advertising.


The Cambridge Analytica (CA) scandal involved the unauthorized harvesting of personal data from millions of Facebook users, which was then used for psychographic profiling and targeted political advertising.
==Background==
:The scandal involved Facebook, Global Science Research (GSR), and Cambridge Analytica (Analytica). It exposed vulnerabilities in social media platforms, the misuse of personal data for political gain, and the lack of regulatory safeguards.
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|+Key individuals and companies involved
|-
!Name
!Role
|-
|Aleksandr Kogan
|Developed the data-harvesting app and violated Facebook’s terms by sharing data with Analytica.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Meredith |first=Sam |date=10 Apr 2018 |title=Facebook-Cambridge Analytica: A timeline of the data hijacking scandal |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/10/facebook-cambridge-analytica-a-timeline-of-the-data-hijacking-scandal.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 Jun 2025 |website=CNBC}}</ref>
|-
|Alexander Nix
|CEO of CA suspended after boasting of unethical tactics in undercover footage.<ref name=":3" />
|-
|Cambridge Analytica
|Used illicitly obtained data for political micro-targeting in U.S. campaign and accused of the same in the UK campaign.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=Rosalie |date=5 Oct 2019 |title=The Cambridge Analytica whistleblower explains how the firm used Facebook data to sway elections |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/cambridge-analytica-whistleblower-christopher-wylie-facebook-data-2019-10 |url-status=live |access-date=25 Jun 2025 |website=Business Insider}}</ref>
|-
|Christopher Wylie
|Whistleblower who exposed the misuse of data by Analytica.<ref name=":2" />
|-
|Facebook (Meta)
|Failed to protect user data and allowed third-party apps excessive access via APIs.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Meredith |first=Sam |date=21 Mar 2018 |title=Here’s everything you need to know about the Cambridge Analytica scandal |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/21/facebook-cambridge-analytica-scandal-everything-you-need-to-know.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 Jun 2025 |website=CNBC}}</ref>
|-
|Global Science Research
|Alexsandr Kogan's compnay
|-
|}


==Background==
==Data theft==
The CA scandal exposed vulnerabilities in social media platforms, the misuse of personal data for political gain, and the lack of regulatory safeguards.
==Data Theft==
===Harvesting===
===Harvesting===
In 2013, Aleksandr Kogan, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, developed a Facebook app called "This Is Your Digital Life" under his company, Global Science Research (GSR). The app, presented as a personality quiz, paid users to take psychological surveys while collecting their Facebook data, including their friends' information, due to Facebook’s permissive API policies at the time. Approximately 270,000 users directly took the quiz, and harvested data from friends of quiz-takers due to Facebook’s Open Graph platform<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 30, 2020 |title=Facebook data privacy scandal: A cheat sheet |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/facebook-data-privacy-scandal-a-cheat-sheet/ |work=TechRepublic}}</ref>, accessing an estimated 87 million profiles.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Cadwalladr |first=Carole |last2=Graham-Harrison |first2=Emma |date=March 17, 2018 |title=Revealed: 50 million Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/17/cambridge-analytica-facebook-influence-us-election |work=The Guardian}}</ref> The collected data included likes, location, birth dates, friend networks, and some users' private messages.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cambridge Analytica |url=https://dig.watch/trends/cambridge-analytica |website=dig.watch}}</ref>
:In 2013 Aleksandr Kogan, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, developed a Facebook app, ''This Is Your Digital Life'', under his company, GSR.<ref name=":2" /> The app was presented as a personality quiz and paid users to take psychological surveys. It collected their Facebook data including their friends' information due to Facebook’s permissive API policies at the time. 270,000 users directly took the quiz, accessing an estimated 87 million profiles because of Facebook’s Open Graph platform.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 30, 2020 |title=Facebook data privacy scandal: A cheat sheet |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/facebook-data-privacy-scandal-a-cheat-sheet/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Jun 2025 |work=TechRepublic}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Cadwalladr |first=Carole |last2=Graham-Harrison |first2=Emma |date=March 17, 2018 |title=Revealed: 50 million Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/17/cambridge-analytica-facebook-influence-us-election |url-status=live |access-date=25 Jun 2025 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> The collected data included likes, location, birth dates, friend networks, some users' private messages, and mostly affected user's that had not used the personality quiz .<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cambridge Analytica |url=https://dig.watch/trends/cambridge-analytica |url-status=live |access-date=25 Jun 2025 |website=dig.watch}}</ref>


===Transferred to Cambridge Analytica===
===Data transferred===
Kogan violated Facebook’s terms by sharing the data with CA, a political consulting firm co-founded by Republican donor Robert Mercer and led by CEO Alexander Nix. CA used the data to build psychographic profiles based on the Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism (OCEAN) model to predict and influence voter behavior.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Fernando |first=Jason |date=January 28, 2025 |title=Cambridge Analytica: Overview, History, and Examples |url=https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cambridge-analytica.asp |website=investopedia}}</ref>
:Kogan violated Facebook’s terms by sharing the data with Analytica, a political consulting firm co-founded by Republican donor [[wikipedia:Robert_Mercer|Robert Mercer]] and led by CEO [[wikipedia:Alexander_Nix|Alexander Nix]]. Attempting to predict and influence voter behavior, Analytica used the data to build psychographic profiles based on the ''Openness Conscientious Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism'' (OCEAN) model.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Fernando |first=Jason |date=January 28, 2025 |title=Cambridge Analytica: Overview, History, and Examples |url=https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cambridge-analytica.asp |url-status=live |access-date=25 Jun 2025 |website=investopedia}}</ref>


Political Applications:
===Whistleblower revelations===
*Ted Cruz’s 2016 Presidential Campaign: CA was hired to micro-target voters with tailored ads.<ref name=":1" />
:In March 2018, former Analytica employee Christopher Wylie exposed the scandal through ''The Guardian'' and ''The New York Times'', revealing that Facebook had known about the breach since 2015 but failed to notify affected users or enforce data deletion.<ref name=":0" />
*Donald Trump’s 2016 Campaign: The psychographic models allegedly helped the Trump campaign identify and persuade swing voters.<ref name=":0" />
*Brexit Referendum (2016): CA was linked to the pro-Brexit group Leave.EU, though investigations later found no direct evidence of significant involvement.


===Whistleblower Revelations===
===Political applications===
In March 2018, former CA employee Christopher Wylie exposed the scandal through The Guardian and The New York Times, revealing that Facebook had known about the breach since 2015 but failed to notify affected users or enforce data deletion.
*Ted Cruz’s 2016 Presidential Campaign: Analytica was hired to micro-target voters with tailored ads.<ref name=":1" />
*Donald Trump’s 2016 Campaign: The psychographic models allegedly helped the Trump campaign identify and persuade swing voters. Although former staffer Brad Parscale had ties to Analytica, the campaign denied knowingly using improperly obtained data.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Overly |first=Steven |date=March 17, 2018 |title=Report: Trump-linked firm exploited data on 50 million Facebook users |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/17/facebook-trump-campaign-data-cambridge-analytica-423599 |work=Politico}}</ref>
*Brexit Referendum (2016): Analytica was linked to the pro-Brexit group, Leave EU, though investigations later found no direct evidence of significant involvement.


===FaceBooks's response===
==Responses==
Facebook dismissed the incident as a "violation of terms" rather than a "data breach".
*Facebook dismissed the incident as a violation of terms rather than a data breach claiming, "...Mr.Korgan misled us all."<ref name=":4" />
*CA claimed it was not aware that the data from GSR violated Facebook's terms of service and deleted it after insistence from Facebook.<ref name=":4" />


===Outcome===
==Outcome==
*Mark Zuckerberg testified before the U.S. Congress in April 2018, acknowledging lapses in oversight.
*Mark Zuckerberg testified before the U.S. Congress in April 2018, acknowledging lapses in oversight.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Domonoske |first=Camilla |date=April 10, 2018 |title=Mark Zuckerberg Tells Congress: Election Security is an Arm's Race |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/10/599808766/i-m-responsible-for-what-happens-at-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-will-tell-senate |website=NPR}}</ref>
*FaceBook faced a $5 billion FTC fine in 2019 for privacy violations.
*Facebook faced a $5 billion FTC fine in 2019 for privacy violations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 24, 2019 |title=FTC Imposes $5 Billion Penalty and Sweeping New Privacy Restrictions on Facebook |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2019/07/ftc-imposes-5-billion-penalty-sweeping-new-privacy-restrictions-facebook |website=FTC}}</ref>
*Alexander Nix was suspended after uncovered footage surface.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 20, 2018 |title=Cambridge Analytica: Facebook row firm boss suspended |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43480048 |website=BBC}}</ref>
*Cambridge Analytica filed for bankruptcy in May 2018 amid investigations.
*Cambridge Analytica filed for bankruptcy in May 2018 amid investigations.
*Regulatory Reforms:
*The E.U.’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was strengthened in response.
**The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was strengthened in response.
*The DOJ opened multiple investigations, but no charges were filed.
**U.S. lawmakers proposed stricter social media regulations, though no comprehensive federal law was passed.
*U.S. lawmakers proposed stricter social media regulations, though no comprehensive federal law was passed.


==Consumer response==
==Consumer response==
{{Placeholder box|Summary and key issues of prevailing sentiment from the consumers and commentators that can be documented via articles, emails to support, reviews and forum posts.}}
{{Placeholder box|Summary and key issues of prevailing sentiment from the consumers and commentators that can be documented via articles, emails to support, reviews and forum posts.}}
==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
 
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Latest revision as of 13:10, 26 June 2025

The Cambridge Analytica Scandal involved the unauthorized harvesting of personal data from millions of Facebook users, which was then used for psychographic profiling and targeted political advertising.

Background[edit | edit source]

The scandal involved Facebook, Global Science Research (GSR), and Cambridge Analytica (Analytica). It exposed vulnerabilities in social media platforms, the misuse of personal data for political gain, and the lack of regulatory safeguards.
Key individuals and companies involved
Name Role
Aleksandr Kogan Developed the data-harvesting app and violated Facebook’s terms by sharing data with Analytica.[1]
Alexander Nix CEO of CA suspended after boasting of unethical tactics in undercover footage.[2]
Cambridge Analytica Used illicitly obtained data for political micro-targeting in U.S. campaign and accused of the same in the UK campaign.[3]
Christopher Wylie Whistleblower who exposed the misuse of data by Analytica.[1]
Facebook (Meta) Failed to protect user data and allowed third-party apps excessive access via APIs.[2]
Global Science Research Alexsandr Kogan's compnay

Data theft[edit | edit source]

Harvesting[edit | edit source]

In 2013 Aleksandr Kogan, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, developed a Facebook app, This Is Your Digital Life, under his company, GSR.[1] The app was presented as a personality quiz and paid users to take psychological surveys. It collected their Facebook data including their friends' information due to Facebook’s permissive API policies at the time. 270,000 users directly took the quiz, accessing an estimated 87 million profiles because of Facebook’s Open Graph platform.[4][5] The collected data included likes, location, birth dates, friend networks, some users' private messages, and mostly affected user's that had not used the personality quiz .[6]

Data transferred[edit | edit source]

Kogan violated Facebook’s terms by sharing the data with Analytica, a political consulting firm co-founded by Republican donor Robert Mercer and led by CEO Alexander Nix. Attempting to predict and influence voter behavior, Analytica used the data to build psychographic profiles based on the Openness Conscientious Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism (OCEAN) model.[7]

Whistleblower revelations[edit | edit source]

In March 2018, former Analytica employee Christopher Wylie exposed the scandal through The Guardian and The New York Times, revealing that Facebook had known about the breach since 2015 but failed to notify affected users or enforce data deletion.[5]

Political applications[edit | edit source]

  • Ted Cruz’s 2016 Presidential Campaign: Analytica was hired to micro-target voters with tailored ads.[7]
  • Donald Trump’s 2016 Campaign: The psychographic models allegedly helped the Trump campaign identify and persuade swing voters. Although former staffer Brad Parscale had ties to Analytica, the campaign denied knowingly using improperly obtained data.[5][8]
  • Brexit Referendum (2016): Analytica was linked to the pro-Brexit group, Leave EU, though investigations later found no direct evidence of significant involvement.

Responses[edit | edit source]

  • Facebook dismissed the incident as a violation of terms rather than a data breach claiming, "...Mr.Korgan misled us all."[8]
  • CA claimed it was not aware that the data from GSR violated Facebook's terms of service and deleted it after insistence from Facebook.[8]

Outcome[edit | edit source]

  • Mark Zuckerberg testified before the U.S. Congress in April 2018, acknowledging lapses in oversight.[9]
  • Facebook faced a $5 billion FTC fine in 2019 for privacy violations.[10]
  • Alexander Nix was suspended after uncovered footage surface.[11]
  • Cambridge Analytica filed for bankruptcy in May 2018 amid investigations.
  • The E.U.’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was strengthened in response.
  • The DOJ opened multiple investigations, but no charges were filed.
  • U.S. lawmakers proposed stricter social media regulations, though no comprehensive federal law was passed.

Consumer response[edit | edit source]

Summary and key issues of prevailing sentiment from the consumers and commentators that can be documented via articles, emails to support, reviews and forum posts.

Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Meredith, Sam (10 Apr 2018). "Facebook-Cambridge Analytica: A timeline of the data hijacking scandal". CNBC. Retrieved 25 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Meredith, Sam (21 Mar 2018). "Here's everything you need to know about the Cambridge Analytica scandal". CNBC. Retrieved 25 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ Chan, Rosalie (5 Oct 2019). "The Cambridge Analytica whistleblower explains how the firm used Facebook data to sway elections". Business Insider. Retrieved 25 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ↑ "Facebook data privacy scandal: A cheat sheet". TechRepublic. July 30, 2020. Retrieved 25 Jun 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cadwalladr, Carole; Graham-Harrison, Emma (March 17, 2018). "Revealed: 50 million Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 Jun 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ "Cambridge Analytica". dig.watch. Retrieved 25 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Fernando, Jason (January 28, 2025). "Cambridge Analytica: Overview, History, and Examples". investopedia. Retrieved 25 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Overly, Steven (March 17, 2018). "Report: Trump-linked firm exploited data on 50 million Facebook users". Politico.
  9. ↑ Domonoske, Camilla (April 10, 2018). "Mark Zuckerberg Tells Congress: Election Security is an Arm's Race". NPR.
  10. ↑ "FTC Imposes $5 Billion Penalty and Sweeping New Privacy Restrictions on Facebook". FTC. July 24, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Cambridge Analytica: Facebook row firm boss suspended". BBC. March 20, 2018.
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