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).

Share:
More In Politics
UNHCR Plans Ahead for 4 Million Refugees as 1 Million Already Flee Ukraine
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that an estimated one million people have fled from Ukraine since Russia invaded. Christopher Boian, senior communications officer at UNHCR, joined Cheddar News to report on the current refugee crisis and what the world might expect if conditions continue to worsen. "We have planning figures that forecast as many as four million people could be forced to flee Ukraine," he said. "But that very much depends on how the conflict underway in that country at the moment unfolds in the days and possibly weeks ahead."
Study Shows Corn-Based Ethanol Could Be Worse for Climate Than Gasoline Alone
Under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), corn-based ethanol has been mixed into gasoline sold at pumps in the U.S. since 2005, when a policy was enacted aimed at reducing emissions. Corn-based ethanol had been thought to be a relatively greener energy source compared to other biofuels, but now, a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports it may be actually worse for the climate than straight gasoline. Tyler Lark, an assistant scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Sustainability, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell and discussed the pushback against the study. "Essentially when you need to produce more corn to meet the demand for use as ethanol as fuel, farmers respond and they switch more crops like soybeans and wheat into corn," Lark said. "They also bring more land into production, so things that used to be pasture grassland, and both those activities are associated with increased greenhouse gas emissions."
Bethenny Frankel's BStrong Providing Aid Efforts for Ukrainian Refugees
In the past few years, Betthany Frankel has made a major name for herself as a philanthropist after founding the BStrong initiative, which has provided relief to people impacted by natural disasters as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, BStrong is shifting its focus to Ukraine, raising millions of dollars in donations for those impacted by Russia's invasion. Bethenny Frankel, the founder of BStrong, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Load More