"The idea that we stole the data, I think, is technically incorrect. I mean, they created these great tools for developers to collect the data. And they made it very easy. I mean, this was not a hack. This was, ‘Here's the door. It's open. We're giving away the groceries. Please collect them’ … I think there's utility to trying to tell the narrative that this is a special case that I was a rogue app, and this was really unusual. Because if the truth is told, and this is pretty usual and normal, it's a much bigger problem," Kogan said in an interview with the CBS News. READ MORE: Regulator Asks Cambridge Analytica to Check for Russian Facebook Users' Data According to Kogan, he did not conceal anything from Facebook. His app’s terms of service stipulated users’ permission to disseminate, transfer or sell their data, though it was in breach with the social network's developer policy, the … [Read more...] about Cambridge Analytica Researcher Kogan Calls Facebook Data Mining ‘Pretty Usual’
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Professor defends role in Cambridge Analytica data scandal
The psychologist behind an app that harvested data from 50 million Facebook users defended his role in the scandal Sunday, saying he "never heard a word" of opposition from the social media giant. Facebook says Aleksandr Kogan's app, This Is Your Digital Life, was downloaded by 270,000 people and also gave Kogan access to their friends. The data was passed to British communications firm Cambridge Analytica and was used to help elect US President Donald Trump. But the company has blamed Kogan for misusing it, while he claims they and Facebook have used him as a scapegoat. The University of Cambridge lecturer told CBS's 60 Minutes he was "sincerely sorry" for the data mining, but insisted there was a widespread belief that users knew their data was being sold and shared. "Back then we thought it was fine... I think that core idea that we had –- that everybody knows and nobody cares –- was fundamentally flawed. And for that, I'm sincerely sorry," he said. The psychologist … [Read more...] about Professor defends role in Cambridge Analytica data scandal
Aleksandr Kogan: The link between Cambridge Analytica and Facebook
Facebook and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg are in a whale of trouble and not just because the company has lost tens of billions of dollars in market value in recent weeks. We now know that during years of essentially policing itself, Facebook allowed Russian trolls to buy U.S. election ads, advertisers to discriminate by race, hate groups to spread fake news and, because facebook shirked privacy concerns, a company called Cambridge Analytica was able to surreptitiously gain access to personal data mined from as many as 87 million Facebook users. "If I had any inkling that what we were going to do was going to destroy my relationship with Facebook, I would've never done it." The man who mined that data for Cambridge Analytica is a scientist named Aleksandr Kogan. He's at the center of the Facebook controversy because he developed an app that harvested data from tens of millions of unwitting Facebook users. Lesley Stahl: The main infraction, the main charge is that you sold the data. … [Read more...] about Aleksandr Kogan: The link between Cambridge Analytica and Facebook
Facebook to warn of higher costs as Cambridge Analytica scandal takes bite out of profits
Facebook is set to warn of a hit to profits as it feels the first financial effects of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Investors are braced for the social network to warn of an increase in spending on Wednesday, as it attempts to get a grip on the scandals enveloping the company. Last month, it emerged that millions of Facebook users had their personal data collected without their consent and passed to the British election consultants Cambridge Analytica. Facebook has since revealed that 87m people may have been affected, and promised a series of reforms to regain trust after a heavy drop in its share price. The scandal only emerged in the second half of March, so any fallout is unlikely to... Register or log in to view this and other Technology Intelligence articles. It's free and easy to do. Access brilliant stories, features and analysis Sign up to our exclusive Technology Intelligence daily newsletter Become part of our ambitious new Tech networking community … [Read more...] about Facebook to warn of higher costs as Cambridge Analytica scandal takes bite out of profits
Facebook prepares to reveal extent of the Cambridge Analytica damage in first quarter results, with Amazon and Alphabet also up for scrutiny
Facebook is preparing to reveal the damage caused by recent data scandals on Wednesday, in a week which will also see Amazon and Google's parent Alphabet lift the lid on their latest figures. Just weeks after the news broke that Cambridge Analytica had potentially used data mined from Facebook without users' knowledge to influence elections, Facebook is releasing its first quarter results after US market close on Wednesday. While the social media giant's boss Mark Zuckerberg has been grilled by US politicians, analysts have been pushing down their expectations for the firm. Read more: Facebook latest: Zuckerberg says his data was included in the Cambridge Analytica breach According to a consensus compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence, analysts expect Facebook to report earnings of just $11.42bn – down from $12.97bn the previous quarter but still above the $8.03bn in the same period a year ago. If the estimates are right, this will be the first time Facebook has seen a … [Read more...] about Facebook prepares to reveal extent of the Cambridge Analytica damage in first quarter results, with Amazon and Alphabet also up for scrutiny