Spotlight shines on Mark Zuckerberg in Cambridge Analytica scandal
Calls are mounting for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to personally take charge of one of the biggest crises to befall the social network as regulatory bodies on both sides of the Atlantic clamour for answers in a data scandal which threatens to engulf it.
Spotlight shines on Mark Zuckerberg in Cambridge Analytica scandal
Zuckerberg has thus far remained tight-lipped amidst reports that the user data of up to 50m individuals had been misused by Cambridge Analytica, which utilized this unauthorized information to help promote Donald Trump in the US election.
This data was harvested by University of Cambridge professor Aleksandr Kogan who created a personality app that harvested such data which he could then sell on to third parties.
Facebook has already suspended Cambridge Analytica and expressed ‘outrage’ that it was deceived in this way but many questions around the affair remain unanswered
Damian Collins, the chair of the Commons culture committee commented: "Facebook was not deceived by Cambridge Analytica.
"They knew what they had done two years ago and only acted against them when it was reported in the press. Mark Zuckerberg needs to speak about this, but he won't even answer questions from his own employees."
Cambridge Analytica is now firefighting on two fronts after its head of sales Tom Jackson conceded an 'ideological shift' was underway as P&G slashed its marketing budget by 75%.