Cambridge Analytica inquiry to continue despite bankruptcy

0 Cambridge Analytica’s New York offices in Park Avenue The investigation into Cambridge Analytica and the firm’s harvesting of data will continue despite the political analysis firm declaring bankruptcy.

The company, which worked on the Brexit campaign, sustained severe criticism over its gathering of data from millions of Facebook profiles to target users with personalised adverts.

I t a n n o u n c e d i t wo u l d b e shutting down on Wednesday, claiming the coverage of the scandal has driven away customers and made the business unviable.

The Information Commissioner’s Office ( I CO) said i t s i nvestigations will continue to “seek to pursue individuals and directors as appropriate”.

Damian Collins, chair of the Commons select committee for digital, culture, media and s p or t , t weeted: “Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group can- not be allowed to delete their data histor y by closing. The investigations into their work are vital.”

The closure of the company comes i n t he wake of r i si ng l e g a l c o s t s i n t he Fac e b o o k investigation and the loss of clients following revelations about the firm in March.

An ICO spokeswoman said: “We will be examining closely the details of the announcements of the winding down of Cambridge Analytica and the status of its parent company.

“The I CO will continue i t s civil and criminal investigations and will seek to pursue individuals and directors as a p p r o p r i a t e a n d n e c e s s a r y even where companies may no longer be operating.

“We will also monitor closel y any successor companies using our powers to audit and inspect, to ensure the public is safeguarded.”

O n Tu e s d a y, M r C o l l i n s repeated a request for Face - b o o k f o u n d e r M a r k Z u c k - erb erg t o app ear b ef ore t he committee, saying evidence provided by Faceb o ok chief t e c h n o l o g y o f f i c e r M i k e Schroepfer last week “failed to answer fully” almost 40 questions.

Mr Zuckerb e rg has s a i d i t was a mistake to rely on Cambridge Analytica to delete tens of millions of Facebook users’ data and has ap ologised f or the “major breach of trust”.

Up to 87 million people may have had data harvested by an app which was acquired by the firm, according to Facebook.

The app, a personalit y surve y c a l l e d “yo u r d i g i t a l l i f e” built by Aleksander Kogan, of Cambridge University, collected personal data from users and t heir Faceb o ok f riends, in line with the behaviour of many similar apps at the time.

It allowed Cambridge Analytica to tailor specific political adverts to small groups of people, it is alleged.