May 04, 2018
Nearly 3 million Pennsylvanians’ Facebook data was shared with Cambridge Analytica and other third parties, Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced on Thursday.
Shapiro’s investigation into the privacy breach that shared the data of 70.4 million Americans who use Facebook and, in Pennsylvania, the equivalent of 22 percent of all the state's population is ongoing. And it is not yet known how many Facebook users live in Pennsylvania in total.
“Social media users don’t expect to have their information given to third party developers without their knowledge,” Shapiro said on Thursday. “Businesses like Facebook must take significant steps to better protect their users’ privacy and personal data. I’m leading a national investigation with my colleagues to ensure Pennsylvanians and Americans are protected from these kinds of unauthorized information sharing.”
This message from Facebook appears if a user's personal data has been shared with Cambridge Analytica.
This response from Facebook is an answer to a bipartisan letter Shapiro — along with 41 other Attorneys General — sent in March, demanding answers from CEO Mark Zuckerberg concerning the company’s business practices and privacy policies.
"Even with the changes Facebook has made in recent years, many users still do not know their profile – and personal data – is available to third-party vendors," the letter reads. "Facebook has made promises about users' privacy in the past, and we need to know that users can trust Facebook."
Facebook’s previous privacy standards allowed third parties to access the personal information of users and their friends without their consent.
On Thursday Cambridge Analytica announced it will shut down and declared bankruptcy in the United Kingdom.
