Facebook: 2.7m EU users affected by data privacy scandal

Facebook says up to 2.7 million Facebook users in the European Union have been affected by the data privacy scandal, a spokesman for the Eur...

Facebook says up to 2.7 million Facebook users in the European Union have been affected by the data privacy scandal, a spokesman for the European Commission said on Friday

“Facebook confirmed to us that the data of overall up to 2.7 million … people in the EU may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica,” said Christian Wigand, a commission spokesman.

On Wednesday, Facebook admitted that it had “improperly shared” the personal data of 87 million Facebook users, an increase of more than 30 million from previous estimates, with the British data analysis firm Cambridge Analytica.

The firm used the information, without users’ consent, to support the campaign for Britain’s exit from the European

Union, as well as the 2016 election campaign of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The U.S. social media giant revealed the full extent of the data breach in the EU in a letter Thursday evening responding to questions by EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova.

“We will follow the letter in more detail, but it is already clear that this will need further follow-up discussions with Facebook,” Wigand said.

He noted that Jourova is set to have a phone call with Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg “On Monday.”

NAN