Did CA misuse personal data of Indian voters: Govt seeks Facebook reply by Apr 7

New Delhi: The government has issued notice to Facebook on Wednesday seeking information over the alleged data leak.

According to news agency ANI, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has asked the social media company to respond to the letter by April 7.

Earlier, the government had issued a notice to Cambridge Analytica on March 23 seeking details relating to breach of data from Facebook.

However, the government felt need for more information over the issue from Facebook.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued a letter to Facebook on March 28 seeking their response to certain questions.

Facebook has been asked “Whether personal data of Indian voters and users has been compromised by CA? Whether Facebook or its related or downstream agencies utilising Facebook’s data have previously been engaged by any entities to manipulate the Indian electoral process?”

The letter sent to Cambridge Analytica sought details particularly with regard to reports in the media about questionable practices attributed to Cambridge Analytica in their efforts to influence elections. The company was given time till March 31 to respond.

Earlier on Wednesday, Christopher Wylie, the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower behind the Facebook privacy scandal tweeted on the rather long association Indian politics had had with the company to get voter information and strategise poll campaigns around it.

Also read: Indian parties hired CA since 2003, to study voters, counter jihadism: whistleblower

On Tuesday, Wylie told UK lawmakers that his company worked extensively in India and that he "believe" Congress was a client at the regional level.

Soon after the testimony details emerged, the ruling BJP sought apology from Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

“Today the whistleblower Christopher Wylie has confirmed that Cambridge Analytica worked with Congress. This has exposed Rahul Gandhi who was denying all along. Congress and Rahul Gandhi must now apologize,” Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Also read: Believe Congress was firm's client, says Cambridge Analytica whistleblower

Christopher Wylie came into the limelight last week after he alleged that information from more than 50 million Facebook users improperly ended up in the hands of data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica. He further alleged that the data was used to help politicians, including US President Donald Trump during 2016 presidential polls and the Brexit campaign.