ICO broadens data privacy investigation to 30 organizations

The ICO has announced it is investigating 30 organizations, including Facebook, to understand how personal data and analytics can impact political campaigning and influence elections.

Following the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal, the ICO was sharp out of the blocks to kick-start an investigation in how personal data has been used in an unethical or potentially illegal manner. While we are usually quite critical about the sluggishness of the public sector, the ICO defied logic by securing a warrant before Facebook had the chance to conduct its own audit of the Cambridge Analytica data. The warrant was granted on Friday 23 March, before being investigators left the Cambridge Analytica offices at about 3am the next morning.

Having dug around the Cambridge Analytica filing cabinets, the ICO is taking the investigation up a step and broadening the number of companies underneath the microscope.

“As part of my investigation into the use of personal data and analytics by political campaigns, parties, social media companies and other commercial actors, the ICO is investigating 30 organisations, including Facebook,” said Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham

“The ICO is looking at how data was collected from a third party app on Facebook and shared with Cambridge Analytica. We are also conducting a broader investigation into how social media platforms were used in political campaigning.”

As a result of the scandal, Facebook has brought in a host of changes to how and the amount of information developers can extract from user profiles. While this work has been noted by the ICO, Denham highlighted that only time would tell as to whether this would be deemed sufficient.

Elsewhere in the world other headaches are starting to appear for the social media giant. Alongside the ICO investigation and a grilling in the US, Australia has opened up its own probe into the saga. Australian Information Commissioner and acting Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk has opened up an investigation after Facebook confirmed the information of over 300,000 Australian users may have been acquired and used without authorisation.

Back to the UK, details on who the other 29 organizations are unknown for the moment, though this should hardly be a surprising move from the ICO. Scandals are opportunities for politically charged public servants to make a mark in the history books, and Denham has seemingly spotted a potentially catastrophic one here. Widening the net and potentially uncovering more nefarious behaviour is a chance for the Commissioner to make a name for herself. Expect this to be a political circus for months.