Facebook cooperating with New York probe, says prosecutor

Published
0

Facebook has begun to produce documents and wants to be “cooperative” with a New York investigation into the Cambridge Analytica data breach, state attorney general Eric Schneiderman said on Thursday.

On March 20, Schneiderman announced that he and his Massachusetts counterpart had opened a joint investigation into the Facebook-Analytica scandal, and had written to Facebook to demand answers.

“We're digging in on this,” Schneiderman told reporters on Thursday.

“Thus far they have said they want to be cooperative. They've already begun to produce documents. So they're moving pretty quickly.”

On Monday, the Federal Trade Commission, a US consumer protection agency, said it had opened an inquiry into Facebook's privacy practices, including whether the company violated an earlier agreement with the FTC on how it handles user data.

Also read: Before you #DeleteFacebook, try taking control

Facebook signed a consent decree with the consumer agency in 2011 settling charges that it deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their information on Facebook private, and then allowing it to be shared and made public.

The New York prosecutor, who is pressing a series of legal actions against the Trump administration, appeared to question the federal government's willingness to get involved in the Facebook saga.

“I'm not sure what's going to happen with federal inquiries if the federal government is not as anxious to do investigations of big companies as they were once,” he said.

“So we're proceeding on a state level to make sure that this goes forward and that New Yorkers are protected on Facebook,” Schneiderman added.

Facebook faces probes on both sides of the Atlantic over the hijacking of personal data on 50 million users by a consulting firm linked to Donald Trump's campaign.

The firestorm has raised new awareness on how personal data is stored and shared by internet platforms and marketers.

Opinion

Editorial

Debt that stays
30 Jul, 2026

Debt that stays

THE power sector’s circular debt grew by Rs61bn in the last fiscal year, taking the total to roughly Rs1.67tr from...
HIV warning
30 Jul, 2026

HIV warning

THE HIV infections detected around two SESSI-run hospitals in Karachi demand far more than another hurried committee...
End trafficking
30 Jul, 2026

End trafficking

MODERN slavery, in the form of human trafficking, is among the state’s gravest failures. Scores of Pakistanis are...
AJK elections
29 Jul, 2026

AJK elections

CONSIDERING the political unrest that has rocked Azad Jammu and Kashmir in the recent past, free and fair general...
Still vulnerable
29 Jul, 2026

Still vulnerable

THE State Bank’s decision to hold the policy rate at 11.5pc is a prudent response to the heightened risks the...
Guarding the past
29 Jul, 2026

Guarding the past

THE return of 513 smuggled archaeological artefacts from the US is a welcome homecoming for objects that should ...