Cambridge Analytica CEO Suspended, and the FTC Probes Facebook
Cambridge Analytica suspended its CEO Alexander Nix Tuesday after an undercover recording showed him bragging about illegally influencing political campaigns.
The firm was already under fire for its role in the Facebook data scandal. Many of that company’s top executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, have stayed silent the last few days and even skipped out on a company-wide meeting Tuesday.
These two strands together indicate potential turmoil at the top of both companies, according to Jesse Byrnes, Associate Editor of The Hill.
“I think we’re seeing the gravity of the issue playing out now,” he told Cheddar. “We’re seeing lawmakers...calling for the top executives to make public appearances and to be answering questions.”
Late last week, news broke that data company Cambridge Analytica had used Facebook to collect data on millions of Americans without their permission. It then used that information to create personality profiles which were allegedly passed on to President Donald Trump’s campaign team before the 2016 election.
Its transgressions may have surpassed that -- in a video from Britain’s Channel 4 news, Nix talked about entrapping politicians with sex workers and his willingness to take bribes. The exec further boasted about the company’s role in electing Trump.
Also on Tuesday, Facebook came into the crosshairs of the Federal Trade Commission, which launched a probe into how the social media company used data from Cambridge.
“[They’re] going to be interested to see if Facebook allowed Cambridge Analytica to access this information and...whether they were at least knowledgeable about this,” said Byrnes.
Facebook said in a statement that in 2015 it asked Cambridge Analytica to delete all the data it had collected. It denied it knew Cambridge ignored that request and so suspended the company from its platform.
Not only does this controversy add to questions about Facebook’s privacy and data protection policies, it’s also given rise to the #DeleteFacebook campaign, which some say could eventually gain traction.
“I think people are going to reach a moment where the straw kind of breaks the camel’s back,” said Damon Beres, Executive Editor at Mashable. “We’ve been hearing so much about all these bad things that are happening because of Facebook...I would not be surprised if eventually people say enough is enough.”
Investors may be nearing that breaking point too. Facebook’s stock continued its downward trajectory on Tuesday, slipping another 2.5 percent after Monday’s near seven percent drop.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/facebook-under-fire-what-the-u-s-could-learn-from-the-eu).
David Nelson, Chief Strategist at Belpointe, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says that Wednesday's market movement shows a rotation back into the industries that were hit hard in January, but says his eyes are firmly fixed on the January CPI data set to be released Thursday.
Russia is preparing alongside Belarus for reportedly one of the largest joint military exercises ever held. Some analysts are concerned this could be a disguise for a real attack, while the Kremlin contends that the exercise is meant to confront potential "unprecedented security threats." Christian Whiton, a former State Department senior advisor, joined Cheddar News to break down the still tense situation. "While it could of course be a prelude to invasion, it seems like the Biden administration is signaling that if you look at Europeans, the Germans and Macron … who just met with Putin, they seem to be thinking that maybe this is a show of force by Russia intended at political intimidation, not actual invasion," said Whiton.
Truckers in Canada have blockaded the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest border crossing between Canada and the U.S. protesting a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Cheddar News spoke with Samir Kapadia, head of trade practice at the Vogal Group, about how this impacts trade between the two countries.
New York City is not only dealing with the ongoing pandemic, it’s also facing a surge in crime. President Biden recently traveled to New York to meet with the city’s new mayor, Eric Adams, to discuss the rise in crime and gun violence.
The president praised Mayor Adams' crimefighting agenda and unveiled a new federal initiative to curb the flow of illegal weapons from the south. Josefa Velásquez, Senior Reporter for THE CITY, joined Cheddar's Fast Forward to talk about how the mayor is battling this increase in crime in his first weeks in office.
The Democratic governors of New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and Oregon say they will lift mask requirements for schools in the coming weeks, reflecting a nationwide shift away from restrictions. Cheddar News speaks with internist Dr. Vivek Cherian whether it's safe to relax the regulation.
Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama are set to begin voting to unionize for a second time after workers at the facility in the town of Bessemer overwhelmingly voted against forming a union during an election early last year; but in November, the National Labor Relations Board overturned the vote, upholding a union challenge of the results which argued that Amazon undermined the conditions for a fair election. Another round of ballots will now be mailed out to works at the warehouse for a so-called re-run election. Director of Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University John Logan and National Field Director for Our Revolution Mike Oles joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
David Daley, author of the book 'Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy,' joins Cheddar News to discuss redistricting battles taking place across the U.S.
