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Cambridge Analytica may have had data of over 200,000 Italians

The Local Italy
The Local Italy - [email protected]
Cambridge Analytica may have had data of over 200,000 Italians
Photo: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP

The Facebook data of over 200,000 users of the social media platform in Italy may have been shared with Cambridge Analytica for election purposes.

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Facebook chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer said those whose data was improperly leaked would be informed from April 9th. The company revealed that 87 million users may be affected, including 214,134 in Italy.

"In total, we believe the Facebook information of up to 87 million people - mostly in the US - may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica," Schroepfer said in a statement which included an announcement of the implementation of new privacy tools.

“Starting on Monday, April 9, we’ll show people a link at the top of their News Feed so they can see what apps they use — and the information they have shared with those apps. People will also be able to remove apps that they no longer want. As part of this process we will also tell people if their information may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica.”

The British political consulting firm is accused of using the data to influence how people voted in elections. In particular, it faces accusations of swaying the outcome of the Brexit vote in June 2016 and the US presidential elections later that year. The company was involved in political campaigning in Italy in 2012. 

The Facebook changes will tighten how outside parties access user data and and search for members. For more details, click here.
 

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