Govt sends query to Cambridge Analytica: Did you harvest Indian user data, get consent?

March 24, 2018 19:15

The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology has sent a notice to data mining and analysis firm Cambridge Analytica, which is at the heart of the case involving alleged breach of Facebook user data, seeking information about its clients in India and whether it had harvested their user profiles.

It has also asked the firm to specify who are the entities, if any, who engaged the firm to utilise data of Indians; how did it collect the data and whether consent was taken of the individuals whose data was used.

Cambridge Analyticas parent company, Strategic Communications Laboratories, partnered with a firm, Ovleno Business Intelligenc, in India which had mentioned BJP, Congress and JD-U as its clients on its website before it was taken down earlier this week.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued a notice to Cambridge Analytica, wherein the serious breach of propriety and misuse of data intended to profile and influence voting behaviour has been highlighted, an official spokesperson said, adding that the firm has been given time until March 31 to respond to the notice.

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