Facebook to begin notifying users who may be affected by Cambridge Analytica data breach

Millions of people around the world could be affected by the Facebook data breach.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Facebook will begin telling its roughly 2.2 billion users on Monday if they were among 87 million individuals who might have had their information shared with the data firm Cambridge Analytica, The New York Times reports.

The social media website has been under intense scrutiny since reports found that Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm with ties to President Trump's 2016 campaign, had harvested user information without permission. Millions of people who are potentially affected will get "a detailed message on their news feeds," The Associated Press writes, while all Facebook users will get a message from the company about "Protecting Your Information."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.