Facebook Gets Fined For Cambridge Analytica Scandal

Four months after it came to light that the data of millions of Facebook users had been harvested by election consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, Mark Zuckerberg’s tech giant has gotten its first real punishment. A government office in the United Kingdom wants to levy a fine against Facebook for its failure to keep user data secure, according to the Associated Press.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (or ICO), which regulates data privacy in the U.K., announced it would try to fine Facebook 500,000 pounds ($660,000) for the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

As the AP notes, Facebook makes enough to cover the fine every seven minutes or so. The ICO does not have the authority to fine wrongdoers any more than that. For reference, Facebook was fined 110 million Euros ($128.7 million) by the European Commission last year for something unrelated, according to the BBC.

Regardless of the size of the fine, it is among the first real actions taken against Facebook for its part in the Cambridge Analytica debacle. The scandal has called into question Facebook’s commitment to protecting user data, prompting Zuckerberg to meet with multiple world government authorities to assuage their concerns.

The right-wing election firm used the Facebook data of 87 million users collected by a quiz app to attempt to influence voters with content curated to their interests. Cambridge Analytica notably assisted with Donald Trump’s successful 2016 presidential run. The firm took enough of a reputational hit from the scandal breaking earlier this year that it filed for bankruptcy in May.

Facebook, according to the ICO and other critics, did not do enough to protect its users from having their information misused by a third-party with an agenda.

Most, if not all, of the data harvested belonged to U.S. users. Facebook recently denied earlier reports that a few million Europeans were included.

After the ICO’s suggested fine, Facebook privacy officer Erin Egan said the company will issue a formal response soon, according to the AP. The fine is not set in stone, as the ICO will not issue a final judgment until after Facebook’s response.