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The Cambridge Analytica scandal puts Facebook under scrutiny

The political consulting firm reportedly used personal data secretly harvested from 87 million Facebook users.

Contributors: Vox Staff

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress for five hours Tuesday afternoon at a joint hearing before the Senate Judiciary and Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation committees. He’ll be back on Capitol Hill for another hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday, April 11, at 10 am ET.

Zuckerberg apologized and answered questions about Facebook’s handling of user information and data privacy, among other topics. The appearance comes in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal that left the information of tens of millions of Facebook users exposed and amid enduring questions about how Russia and other groups have used the platform to influence US politics.

The political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica reportedly used personal data harvested from 87 million Facebook users as part of its work on the 2016 Trump election campaign, according to whistleblower Christopher Wylie and others. The revelation raises several ethical and legal concerns about cybersecurity, big data, and privacy, putting the Cambridge and its CEO Alexander Nix, as well as Facebook and Zuckerberg, under intense scrutiny.

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Mar 19, 2018, 11:04am EDT

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The Cambridge Analytica scandal puts Facebook under scrutiny

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