Facebook bans data firm in hacking row

THE Canadian data firm that played a key role in the Brexit campaign has been suspended by Facebook.

The social media giant is investigating if AggregateIQ (AIQ) improperly received data from its users.

AIQ was given nearly £4 million from pro-Brexit groups to run digital campaigns in the 2016 referendum. It is already at the centre of an Electoral Commission probe into whether Vote Leave tried to dodge spending limits by paying money to an affiliated group. That money was then channelled to AIQ.

Now Facebook has suspended AIQ after claims it is linked to Cambridge Analytica, the British consultancy accused of improperly accessing the data of millions of users.

A Facebook spokesman said yesterday: ‘In light of reports that AggregateIQ may have improperly received Facebook user data, we have added them to the list of entities we have suspended from our platform while we investigate.’ AIQ said: ‘We have never managed, nor did we ever have access to, any Facebook data or database allegedly obtained improperly by Cambridge Analytica.’

Last week, The Mail on Sunday revealed that AIQ built the website for Michael Gove’s leadership campaign after David Cameron quit.