The European Commission pressed Facebook (FB.O) on Monday over whether EU citizens’ data were among those improperly harvested by a British political consultancy, after the U.S. regulator said it was investigating the firm’s privacy practices, APA reports quoting Reuters.
That piled yet more pressure on a firm that has lost more than $100 billion in market value in the last 10 days.
Facebook shares fell more than 5 percent on Monday after the U.S. consumer protection regulator made public its investigation of how the social network allowed data of 50 million users to get into the hands of Cambridge Analytica.
Facebook executives have apologized after reports emerged that Cambridge Analytica had used personal data to target U.S. voters.
“Have any data of EU citizens been affected by the recent scandal?” EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova wrote in a letter to Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, seen by Reuters. “If this is the case, how do you intend to inform the authorities and users about it?”
Jourova said that statements by Facebook executives had not alleviated her concerns.
“This is particularly disappointing given our efforts to build a relationship based on trust with you and your colleagues ... this trust is now diminished.”
Jourova asked Sandberg whether she was certain that a similar situation could “not be repeated today” and if she thought stricter rules were needed for platforms “like those that exist for traditional media”.
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