"The lid is being opened on the black box of Facebook's data practices, and the picture is not pretty," said Frank Pasquale, a University of Maryland law professor who has written about Silicon Valley's use of data. Cambridge Analytica said it strongly denies the claims, according to a statement on its website. Facebook and its rivals, including Twitter and YouTube, have largely withstood political pressure stemming from Russia's manipulation of their services. It was not clear whether Republicans who hold congressional committee gavels would announce hearings related to Facebook and Cambridge Analytica. Britain's Information Commissioner's Office said it would consider the potential new evidence as part its separate civil and criminal probe into whether Facebook user data had been abused in British elections.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 19, 2018 20:26 UTC