AP News Guide: Facebook’s widening crisis over user data
NEW YORK — Facebook is facing the most serious crisis in its 14-year history as it deals with fallout from a major leak of user data to political consultants associated with the 2016 Trump campaign.
Here’s a look at the scandal and what it means.
WHAT’S GOING ON?
The U.K.-based data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica has been accused of lifting the Facebook profiles of more than 50 million users without their permission in order to manipulate elections. A former employee of the firm, Christopher Wylie, played a role in that action, and later told his story to journalists.