Facebook fined $663,000 for Cambridge Analytica breach, says UK lawmaker

Facebook has been under scrutiny since allegations surfaced that London-based political consultancy Cambridge Analytica used data from tens of millions of Facebook accounts to help Trump's campaign

The chairman of the UK Parliament's media committee says the government office that investigated the Cambridge Analytica scandal has fined Facebook 500,000 pounds ($663,000) for failing to safeguard users' data.

Damian Collins said the Information Commissioner's Office concluded that Facebook "contravened the law by failing to safeguard people's information."

Collins said on Tuesday that the company "should now make the results of their internal investigations known to the ICO, our committee and other relevant investigatory authorities."

Facebook has been under scrutiny since allegations surfaced that London-based political consultancy Cambridge Analytica used data from tens of millions of Facebook accounts to help US President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign.

 

The alleged offences took place before the rollout of new European Union data protection laws that allow for much larger fines.