Cambridge Analytica Details

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    Cambridge Analytica

    London, United Kingdom employees • Technology

    Industry

    Technology

    Security Incidents

    1

    Cambridge Analytica Ltd., previously known as SCL USA, was a British political consulting firm that came to prominence through the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal.

    Security Incidents

    Cambridge Analytica Breach of Oct 2018
    Severity Score
    Significant

    Type

    Unknown

    Summary

    The Cambridge Analytica security incident of October 2018 involved a data breach that implicated Facebook and the political data-analytics firm, Cambridge Analytica. The UK's data protection watchdog fined Facebook £500,000 for its role in the scandal. Personal data from over 87 million Facebook users was compromised in the breach. The incident raised concerns about privacy and data security on social media platforms. Cambridge Analytica was accused of harvesting data on Americans and their political preferences, leading to widespread scrutiny and legal actions.

    Severity

    The Cambridge Analytica data breach of October 2018 was considered a serious breach of data protection laws, leading to regulatory actions against the company. The breach involved the harvesting of data from millions of Facebook profiles, raising concerns about privacy and data misuse.

    Impact

    The impact of the Cambridge Analytica breach was significant, as it exposed the personal data of millions of Facebook users without their consent. This breach led to a public outcry, regulatory investigations, and legal actions against both Cambridge Analytica and Facebook for their roles in the incident.