
Facebook is expected to receive Britain's maximum possible fine for allowing Cambridge Analytica to improperly access user data, its first penalty related to the leak of millions of users' personal information.
Social media giant Facebook was dealt a blow this morning when a prominent United Kingdom watchdog said it planned to impose a maximum fine on the company for two breaches of the Data Protection Act.
The scandal took place before new European Union data protection laws that allow much larger fines came into force.
Facebook has said it will be reviewing the report and responding to the ICO soon.
Facebook faces a £500,000 ($665,000) fine from the UK's data protection watchdog, the ICO, for failing to protect netizens' info nor tell them how their data would be harvested by apps. The U.K.'s investigation found "evidence that copies of the data/parts of it also seem to have been shared with other parties and on other systems beyond", which "potentially brings into question the accuracy" of Cambridge Analytica's assertion that it wiped the data from its stores.
The amount is the maximum allowed under the Data Protection Act 1998, but is pocket change for a company valued previous year at around $590bn (£445bn).
Iranian oil minister call Trump's order to OPEC insulting
At the time, Saudi Arabia's Khalid al-Falih said the number was "nominal" since not all OPEC members had the spare capacity to boost production.
Rumours: Manchester City closing in on double signing of Mahrez and Jorginho
Despite winning the Premier League at a canter last season, City have struggled to land their top targets in the transfer market. Leicester will receive around £60m for the Algeria worldwide - some way short of their £80m asking price in January.
Tensions Escalate as US-China Trade Tariffs Take Effect
Products that the U.S. is now fighting trade disputes over include Argentinian textiles, India solar panels and European cheese. Trump has threatened to hit back with vehicle tariffs of 20%, which would be highly damaging for the German auto industry.
A Facebook spokeswoman said the company was cooperating fully with an investigation by Australia's privacy commissioner.
It said it was investigating both leave and remain campaigners in the referendum, and that it had issued an enforcement notice for AIQ, a data firm that worked for official Brexit campaign Vote Leave, to stop processing retained data from British citizens.
The London-based firm worked for Donald Trump's campaign team in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and used the data to build a software program to predict and try to influence votes.
The revelations that data belonging to as many as 87 million Facebook users and their friends may have been misused is a "game changer" in the world of data protection, Denham said.
The Facebook probe is part of a wider investigation into the use of data in political campaigns, which the ICO launched past year, the interim results of which are out today. "Trust and confidence in the integrity of our democratic processes risk being disrupted because the average voter has little idea of what is going on behind the scenes", said the information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham. The office finds that Facebook lacked the privacy protections necessary to catch Cambridge Analytica before it was too late. Among the issues they are still probing is an assertion by Cambridge Analytica that it had deleted the data, after the social media giant requested it in 2015.
ICO, which does not normally publish its findings, said it would give the public another update on its investigation in October.
Prominent local politician among Pakistan's bomb blast victims
Mohammad Khurasani, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, said in a statement that they targeted ANP's rally, killing Bilour. Another party worker, Yaseen Khan, said a deafening explosion rocked the compound as Bilour shook hands with supporters.
Nato summit: Energy deal makes Germany a Russian captive, says Donald Trump
Not fair to the USA taxpayer. "It is always worth knowing who is your strategic friend and who is your strategic problem". Trump has repeatedly criticized alliance members for their levels of defense spending ahead of the meeting.
Arsenal announce signing of Sampdoria midfielder Lucas Torreira
The player will not arrive until next month following a period of rest after the World Cup. 'I want to win titles, titles, titles. The 22-year-old was outstanding in Uruguay's run to the quarter-finals in Russian Federation and joins on a five-year-deal.
Injured Dzagoev preparing for Croatia - Russia coach
Both goalkeepers made early saves in the shootout, with an injured Danijel Subasic stopping the opening shot from Fyodor Smolov. But then, with just five minutes to go, Mario Fernandes played the role of hero, heading home a set piece to make it 2-2.
Rains leave 69 dead, 1,850 stranded in Japan, Latest World News
About 1,800 people were evacuated from the affected areas by Monday night, over 11,000 people were staying in special shelters. Emergency service workers pass a damaged road following a landslide, on July 10, 2018 in Yanohigashi near Hiroshima, Japan .
Serena Williams rallies to reach Wimbledon semifinals
Kerber is a former No. 1 who owns two Grand Slam titles and was the runner-up to Williams at Wimbledon two years ago. Kerber and Kasatkina are the only two women to reach the second week at all three majors this year.
Xiaomi gets off to a slow start with Hong Kong IPO
The IPO opened at a price of HK $16.60 (about $2.12 USD) per share which is a fair amount below the original IPO value of HK $17. Founded in 2010, Xiaomi was the fifth biggest smartphone maker in the world past year , according to research firm IDC.
Hurricane Chris forms in Atlantic Ocean
Tropical Storm Chris is shown off the eastern coast of North and SC , U.S., in this satellite image July 9, 2018 at 16:12 UTC. There were no coastal watching or warnings in effect as of Tuesday afternoon.
Trump pardons ranchers whose arrests led to armed occupation of wildlife refuge
The government appealed the sentence, and they were later given the maximum terms of five years in prison. The Malheur 7, as they came to be known, were later acquitted of the government's charges by a jury.
£80m bid prepared for Paulo Dybala when Ronaldo joins Juventus
Ronaldo won four Champions League titles in five years, and was awarded the Ballon d'Or, or Player of the Year award, on four occasions.
RAF100: Watch the full fly past to celebrate the RAF's 100th anniversary
The Book of Kells is one of Ireland's greatest cultural treasures, and is on display at Trinity College in the heart of Dublin . They have a jam-packed itinerary in Dublin including meetings with the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, and Irish President, Michael D.
Umtiti header sends streetwise France into World Cup final
French President Emmanuel Macron and Belgian King Philippe watch the pre-match festivities in Saint Petersburg . Yet while Hazard - Belgium's captain - faded after a strong opening 30 minutes, Mbappe was a constant threat.
France's defence provide a world beating performance
Appleton believes Maguire will be key to England's fortunes again against Croatia , in both penalty boxes. I pray and I would give anything in the world that this squad eventually "confines us to history".
Thai Navy SEALs use Facebook for nail-biting updates on cave rescue mission
This particularly narrow section is also further complicated by it being situated on a sharp upward bend in the passage. She believes the boys are still alive thanks to their coach. "To all the parents, all the kids are still fine".
12 kids and coach all rescued from cave in Thailand
Elon Musk posted photos and video from inside the cave in Thailand where four boys and their soccer coach remain trapped. One diver was in front, holding an oxygen tank for the boy and another diver was behind ensuring the safety of the boy.