European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said MEPs will “investigate fully” the reports of massive misuse of Facebook’s data for political purposes. Tajani tweeted the allegations pointed to “an unacceptable violation of our citizens’ privacy rights,” and “the European Parliament will investigate fully, calling digital platforms to account.”
Meanwhile, the Commission said in statement: “As a rule, personal data cannot be used without the consent of the person concerned. We have strong data protection rules to protect this fundamental right … The Commission is already in contact with Facebook and Commissioner Jourová will raise the issue with the company on the occasion of her visit to the US this week."
The UK Information Commissioner's Office, which is already looking in to the issue of data analytics in political advertising, said over the weekend that it was now "investigating the circumstances in which Facebook data may have been illegally acquired and used".
However, in an update published today, the ICO said: "A full understanding of the facts, data flows and data uses is imperative for my ongoing investigation. This includes any new information, statements or evidence that have come to light in recent days.
"Our investigation into the use of personal data for political campaigns, includes the acquisition and use of Facebook data by SCL, Doctor Kogan and Cambridge Analytica.
"This is a complex and far reaching investigation for my office and any criminal or civil enforcement actions arising from it will be pursued vigorously."
See News Analysis: Cambridge Analytica, Facebook and GDPR
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