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65,000 Singapore users may be hit in Cambridge Analytica scandal; privacy watchdog ‘concerned’

SINGAPORE — More than 65,000 Facebook users in Singapore may have had their information “improperly shared” with political consultancy and data mining firm Cambridge Analytica.

Facebook said that 65,009 people in Singapore may have had their information improperly shared with the political consultancy firm.

Facebook said that 65,009 people in Singapore may have had their information improperly shared with the political consultancy firm.

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SINGAPORE — More than 65,000 Facebook users in Singapore may have had their information “improperly shared” with political consultancy and data mining firm Cambridge Analytica.

Responding to queries from TODAY, the social media giant said that it would notify the 65,009 people here who may have been part of the data breach, but did not specify when.

Facebook is embroiled in a scandal involving the data of up to 87 million users worldwide. The Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) in Singapore said that it is in close contact with Facebook and is looking into the matter.

“PDPC is concerned that individuals in Singapore are affected,” its spokesperson said. “Facebook users are encouraged to review their privacy settings in order to control how their information is used or shared.”

The commission did not say what penalties Facebook could face if found to have breached regulations here.

Cambridge Analytica is the firm which worked with United States President Donald Trump’s election team in 2016. It acquired the data of US citizens through a mobile application and used it to develop a software programme to predict and influence voters.

The app was built by Cambridge University academic Aleksandr Kogan through his company, in collaboration with Cambridge Analytica.

About 71 million of the estimated 87 million Facebook users affected are Americans, The Washington Post reported.

Facebook discovered the data had been harvested in late 2015, but failed to alert users at the time.

The update on the number of Singapore users affected came on the back of Facebook’s announcement on Wednesday (US time) that it would restrict the information that apps could use when connected by users to Facebook.

A feature allowing people to enter someone else’s phone number or email address into a Facebook search to find them on the platform has been disabled, after being abused by unspecified “malicious actors” who harvested the public profiles of most of Facebook’s two billion users.

Speaking to journalists in the US on Wednesday, the company’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg accepted responsibility for the breach of trust.

Its chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer said: “We expect to make more changes over the coming months — and will keep you updated on our progress.”

MANY WAYS TO (MIS)USE PERSONAL DATA

Cybersecurity and Internet experts called for greater accountability from businesses and advised online users to share information more carefully on social media platforms.

Ms Joanne Wong, senior regional director for Asia-Pacific and Japan at security intelligence and analytics firm LogRhythm, said that until recently, third-party apps could get Facebook users’ information ranging from one’s religion to relationship status. Such information can be used in building digital profiles, which can be employed in many ways such as in advertising, personalisation of content or to identify certain patterns and preferences, she said.

Dr Steven Wong, president of the Association of Information Security Professionals (AISP), said that Facebook users should go through their posts to check if they have posted information relating to security questions for their bank, email or online accounts.

Those who have done so should change those questions or answers, and inform their Facebook friends to do the same.

Account holders should also change their passwords regularly even if they are unlikely to have been affected, Dr Wong added.

Another expert said that deleting one’s Facebook account entirely, as some users have done, is not a foolproof method of taking back control of one’s data due to the platform’s data retention policies and backups.

Ms Jennifer Yang Hui, an associate research fellow at the Centre of Excellence for National Security at Nanyang Technological University’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said: “A less drastic measure may be reviewing from time to time what data they may have shared and deleting older apps that are no longer actively used.”

New users should read through the terms and conditions before signing up for a Facebook account, and current users should review any changes made, she added.

HOUSEKEEPING THIRD-PARTY APPS

Facebook users in Singapore said that while they have not taken the drastic measure of boycotting the platform, they are now more aware of what they will share.

Social media manager Kayleen Ang, who regularly uses Facebook for work and leisure, said that she will revoke third-party app access for her personal account, and wanted more disclosure from Facebook.

“I want to know exactly what data is being given (to Cambridge Analytica). There’s a lack of information (on Facebook’s part) and it’s frustrating,” the 24-year-old added.

Following her friends’ advice, postgraduate student Germaine Lee, 27, recently found out just how many third-party apps had access to her Facebook information: Accommodation-booking platform Airbnb and popular retailers such as ASOS and Zalora, to name a few.

Ms Lee has since denied these apps access and said that she would use Facebook less often. “It’s so convenient for people to use their Facebook account to log in to these services, rather than spend time creating a user account. Now I think a lot of us know better,” she said.

Facebook is in the midst of rolling out enhanced privacy settings and menus as well as app updates. Among the changes: Users are allowed to add two-factor authentication, delete records of their past activity, control the ads they see, and more. There will also be a way for them to find, download and delete personal Facebook data, such as photos of their children, places they have visited, and searches they have made.

For those who do not want to wait for these updates, they may log into their accounts, go to “settings” and under the “general accounts settings” page, they will see a line at the bottom of the page that says “Download a copy of your Facebook data”. They may click that link and follow the instructions to get hold of and clear their data.

WIDER CONSEQUENCES

Mr Foo Siang-tse, managing director of cyber security services provider Quann, said that the misuse of personal data could have bigger ramifications. The information could be harnessed for more targeted attacks, such as phishing.

“Should such data breaches occur in Singapore, our financial and political stability could be threatened… These attacks could result in data leakage, financial fraud or even identity theft. It could also be used to shape societal views, undermine reputations and perpetuate fake news,” he said.

Last month, a Facebook representative was questioned by the parliamentary Select Committee studying deliberate online falsehoods. Mr Simon Milner, Facebook’s Asia-Pacific vice-president of public policy, admitted that the tech firm should have told users earlier about the breach of its policies involving Cambridge Analytica.

He also said then that Facebook did not know whether the personal information of Singaporean Facebook users had been inappropriately obtained by Dr Kogan and that the company would inform affected users if it had more information.

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