The Nigerian government is probing claims that Cambridge Analytica, a British-based political consultancy, illegally used Facebook data in past election campaigns for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). “He wasn’t aware of it,” spokesman Ikechukwu Eze said on Thursday, referring to former president Jonathan. When asked about the probe, Eze replied: “The best thing to do is to wait for the conclusion of the investigation.”Jonathan was elected president in 2010, losing to the present incumbent, Buhari, in 2015. Regulators in Britain and the United States are investigating claims that Cambridge Analytica unlawfully used Facebook data for political ends in a mushrooming privacy scandal that has cast the spotlight on data protection. The firm has been tied to electoral campaigns around the world, including for US President Donald Trump and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Source: The Guardian April 05, 2018 13:30 UTC