UK: Investigators raid Cambridge Analytica’s offices

By Muhammad Mussa

LONDON

UK enforcement officers raided the headquarters of data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica Friday, hours after a judge issued a warrant in the wake of a mass data breach revealed earlier this week.

Speaking to British broadcaster Channel 4, a spokesman for the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said “we are pleased with the decision of the judge and we plan to execute the warrant shortly. This is just one part of a larger investigation into the use of personal data and analytics for political purposes”.

“As you will expect, we will now need to collect, assess and consider the evidence before coming to any conclusions,” he added.

The acting CEO of Cambridge Analytica, Alexander Tayler, had earlier issued an apology.

“I am sorry that in 2014, SCL Elections (an affiliate of Cambridge Analytica) licensed Facebook data and derivatives from a research company (GSR) that had not received consent from most respondents.

“I believe that we should all have more control over our data, and there should be more transparency over how and when it is used,” he added.

The investigation by the ICO is expected to intensify after they analyze the records and data held by Cambridge Analytica.

Cambridge Analytica suspended CEO Alexander Nix and launched an independent investigation surrounding his role in the mass data breach revealed earlier in the week.

British broadcaster Channel 4 on Monday aired a documentary in which undercover reporters and journalists recorded Nix and other Cambridge Analytica employees describe and explain in detail how they were able to harvest more than 50 million Facebook profiles and access private information to influence political opinion and elections.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also been requested by lawmakers in the U.S. and U.K. to testify before investigative committees regarding Facebook’s role in the data breach.