Facebook faces criminal probe of data deals with major tech companies
- A grand jury in New York has subpoenaed records from at least two prominent makers of smartphones and other devices
US prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into Facebook’s practice of sharing users’ data with companies without letting the social network’s members know, The New York Times reported.
A grand jury in New York has subpoenaed information from at least two major smartphone makers about such arrangements with Facebook, according to the Times.
Regulators, investigators and elected officials around the world have already been digging into the data sharing practices of Facebook which has more than two billion users.
The social network’s handling of user data has been a flashpoint for controversy since it admitted last year that Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy, used an app that may have hijacked the private details of 87 million users.
“It has already been reported that there are ongoing federal investigations, including by the Department of Justice,” a Facebook spokesman said.
“As we’ve said before, we are cooperating with investigators and take those probes seriously. We’ve provided public testimony, answered questions, and pledged that we will continue to do so.”
