Information from the accounts of more than
65,000 Facebook users in Singapore might have been "improperly
shared" with data analytics company Cambridge Analytica, the social
media giant said yesterday, as the total number of affected users
nearly doubled beyond what was originally estimated.
It has also prompted Singapore's privacy watchdog to
look into the matter.
Facebook said in a statement yesterday that the
information of 65,009 Facebook users here was likely affected in
the growing data breach involving Cambridge Analytica, a political
consultancy firm which applies data mining and analysis to
elections.
Facebook is now embroiled in a global scandal for its
role in the breach, accused of not ensuring the security of its
users' personal data. Cambridge Analytica is said to have exploited
the data for commercial and political use.
Facebook's chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer
said in an update on Wednesday that the total number of people who
had their information improperly obtained and shared is now
estimated to be 87 million - 37 million more than its initial
figure of 50 million people.
The bulk of the affected accounts belong to North
American Facebook users, which currently stand at over 70 million
accounts which had their data compromised.
The Philippines is next, with 1.17 million affected,
followed by Indonesia with 1.09 million andthe UK with 1.08
million.
Singapore's Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC)
is looking into the matter, said a spokesman.
"PDPC is concerned that individuals in Singapore are
affected. We are looking into the matter and are in close contact
with Facebook," the spokesman added. "Facebook users are encouraged
to review their privacy settings in order to control how their
information is used or shared."
From Monday, Facebook will also notify users, through a
link on their accounts, if they were among those who have had their
information shared with Cambridge Analytica.
Mr Evan Dumas, regional director for South-East Asia at
cyber-security firm Check Point, said that although the incident
has reduced trust in Facebook, people "continue to trade
convenience for privacy".
TNP