Facebook, the social networking giant, is making some big headline this week. The company has announced that it has suspended the data analytics firm CubeYou and the Canadian-based political consultancy firm AggregateIQ from its platform.
According to the US-based media firm CNBC, Facebook has suspended CubeYou from its platform after it received reports that CubeYou was using techniques similar to Cambridge Analytica, the London-based data analytics firm who made big headlines recently about data scandal.
CNBC said that the data analytics firm was collecting information about its users through quizzes and terms.
The media outlet pointed out that CubeYou misleadingly labeled its quizzes for non-profit academic research, and then shared the collected data with marketers or business partners. As mentioned earlier by CNBC, CubeYou uses data and various social apps on Facebook to collect personal information which includes names, emails, phone numbers, IP addresses and even browser histories. The company then works with various advertising and marketing firms who want to run a targeted ads campaign on certain types of Facebook users.
CubeYou is not alone
In addition to CubeYou, Facebook has also suspended the Canadian political consultancy firm AggregateIQ from its platform, after receiving some reports about its alleged involvement in a global controversy of data privacy and misuse of personal data for political ends.
The Canada-based online publication national Observer has managed to get an exclusive report about Facebook’s suspension of the Canadian consultancy firm AggregateIQ.
According to National Observer, a 28-year-old data scientist from British Columbia recently went public with statements, stating that he helped found AgreegateIQ while working with the Cambridge Analytica’s parent company SCL.
The data scientist claimed that Cambridge Analytica maliciously collected Facebook data to help support Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
This is not the first time AggregateIQ has been linked to data scandal. The Canadian consultancy firm was also linked to the highly controversial UK campaign to leave the European Union.
The website also claimed that the consultancy firm was used to sidestep the controversial Brexit campaign. National Observer has also learned from Britain’s Electoral Commission that the Canadian consultancy firm received some payment from the Vote Leave campaign for running political work. The Canadian website reported it to be around $4.6 million.
The British Columbia’s Office of the Information and Privacy Commission has been watching the Canadian firm since last year over its alleged connection with Brexit campaign. The agency has already launched a joint investigation with Canada’s federal privacy agency about the Canadian consultancy firm and Facebook.
Mark Zuckerberg to hold meetings with some US lawmakers
In other Facebook-related stories, Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg will hold meetings with some US lawmakers. The CEO is scheduled to appear at Congressional hearings over political consultancies use of Facebook data. He is also scheduled to appear at a joint hearing of the US Senate Judiciary & Commerce Committee and Senate House Energy & Commerce Committee, Reuters reported.
The social networking giant came under fire recently after reports of misuse of personal data, involving around 87 million Facebook users.
