Facebook data probe

FACEBOOK shares fell sharply again in early trading yesterday after US authorities launched a probe into claims it gave away 50 million users’ private data.

The stock dropped as much as 6.1 per cent on Wall Street, wiping nearly $A37 billion off its value, after the US Federal Trade Commission said it would investigate.

The stock later clawed its way back into positive territory. Facebook has been accused of handing private information over to Cambridge Analytica, which used it to target US voters in Donald Trump’s election campaign.