Privacy commission to probe Cambridge Analytica data breach

Facebook has disclosed that the information of some 1.2 million Filipino users may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica (Pixabay photo)

MANILA — The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has launched an investigation into the data breach involving Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, wherein the personal information of more than a million Filipino users may have been shared without their consent.

This, following the admission of Facebook Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg that the social media company had fault in the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.

In a letter to Facebook, the NPC is requiring the popular social networking site to submit documents relevant to the case to establish the scope and impact of the incident on Filipino subjects.

It launched its formal investigation on Thursday to seek more concrete actions from Facebook.

“We are launching an investigation into Facebook to determine whether there is unauthorized processing of personal data of Filipinos and other possible violations of the Data Privacy Act of 2012,” an excerpt of the letter sent to Zuckerberg reads.

The letter was signed by NPC Commissioner Raymund Liboro and Deputy Commissioners Ivy Patdu and Leandro Aguirre.

The privacy watchdog will probe into how Facebook shares the personal data of Filipino users with third parties. It also aims to address the issue of protecting the data privacy rights of Filipino Facebook users.

Facebook has disclosed that the information of some 1.2 million Filipino users may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica, making the Philippines the second most affected country in terms of the total number of data subjects.

About 87 million Facebook users worldwide may have been affected by the data breach.