Facebook referred to EU over suspect tracking methods

The UK’s Information Commissioners Office has referred an investigation into Facebook to the EU’s lead data protection watchdog over concerns about how the internet giant is tracking users.

The investigation, which was initially launched in May 2017, is primarily focused on the Cambridge Analytica scandal, though this might only be the tip of the iceberg for Facebook. Aside from fining the social media giant, the ICO has referred the case to the Irish Data Protection Commission, as the lead supervisory authority for Facebook under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). As you can see below, Cambridge Analytica might only be the beginning of Facebook’s headache.

“Since we began, the scope of our investigation has extended to 30 organisations, we have formally interviewed 33 individuals and are working through forensic analysis of 700 terabytes of data,” said Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham. “In layman’s terms, that’s the equivalent of 52 billion pages.

“Now I have published a report to Parliament that brings the various strands of our investigation up to date. It sets out what we have found and what we now know. But it is not the end. Some of the issues uncovered in our investigation are still ongoing or will require further investigation or action.”

Those who practise the dark arts of hyper-targeted advertising rarely give explanations as to how what information is being specifically held and how much of a detailed picture is being built up through primary sourced data and third-party sources. Few have a genuine understanding of the complexities of these advertising machines, though this is the foundation of various investigations. Transparency is the key word here, with many wanting the curtain to be pulled aside and the mechanics explained.

The fine is clear evidence the ICO is not happy with the state of affairs, though continuation of the investigation and referral to the EU overlords suggests there are more skeletons to be uncovered in-between Zuckerberg’s V-neck jumpers and starch ironed chinos.

“We have referred our ongoing concerns about Facebook’s targeting functions and techniques that are used to monitor individuals’ browsing habits, interactions and behaviour across the internet and different devices to the to the IDPC,” said Denham.

The initial focus of the investigation might have been political influence, though the more details which emerge, the less comfortable pro-privacy bureaucrats in Brussels are likely to feel. Regulating the slippery Silicon Valley natives has always been a tricky job, but with the Facebook advertising machine becoming increasingly exposed, the rulebook governing the data sharing economy might well be in need of a refresh.