Modi embraces Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg during his Delhi visit. The Facebook data scandal has now hit Indian politics with the BJP asking about the role of Cambridge Analytica behind Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s social media profile. The UK-based data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica is at the center of a global row over allegations of stealing and using personal data of Facebook users since 2014. Two newspapers – New York Times and Observer – had reported last week that Cambridge Analytica deceived users and Facebook to mine data of 50 million users. The data was allegedly harvested with the help of an app developed by Aleksandr Kogan, a British academic. The company is accused of using data manipulation tricks to help Donald Trump win the US Presidential election in 2016. In a sting operation carried out by a US-based TV channel, Cambridge Analytica’s suspended chief executive Alexander Nix can be seen saying his firm played a “decisive” role in Trump’s victory. He also talks about the use of questionable practices to influence foreign elections.
The BJP and the Congress on Wednesday accused each other of using the services of embattled data consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica (CA) that along with Facebook is at the centre of a global row over the alleged unauthorized use of personal data from the social media giant.
As the firestorm over the issue hit India, the government warned Facebook, which is being probed by US and British lawmakers over a potential breach of user confidentiality, of stringent action if any attempt was made to influence the country’s electoral process through “undesirable means”.
However, the company’s India partner Oveleno Business Intelligence (OBI) lists the BJP, the Congress and the JD-U as its clients. The India partner is Amrish Tyagi, son of senior JD-U leader K.C. Tyagi. In media interviews, the junior Tyagi admitted that the Youth Congress in Jharkhand, the BJP and the JD-U had used its services to conduct research.
BJP leader and Union Law and IT and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad cited media reports to allege that the Congress was using the services of the London-based political data analytics firm for the next Lok Sabha election and boost its president Rahul Gandhi’s social media profile and its outreach.
“The Congress must explain if it has engaged in data trade with Cambridge Analytica,” the minister said.
He said the number of Gandhi’s followers on Twitter had risen recently and wondered if the Congress had used the services of the Cambridge Analytica for this “fake popularity”.
“Will the Congress now depend on data manipulation and theft to woo voters,” Prasad asked.
“These days, there is a lot of news about CA and how it has been involved in data theft, psychometric analysis, data manipulation and subversion of democratic processes. Can the Congress deny that?” he asked.
The Congress returned the fire and accused the BJP of having availed the firm’s services in 2010.
“The Congress or its President have never used or hired the services of Cambridge Analytica,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.
“This is fake agenda, a white lie being dished out on fake facts by the Law Minister. And this has become a daily order with Prasad.”
Surjewala alleged it was the BJP and its ally Janata Dal-United which used the services of Cambridge Analytica.
“I think the BJP and Ravi Shankar Prasadji have the maximum experience of Cambridge Analytica, the company they say has indulged in manipulation.”
Surjewala cited the firm’s website saying that it “was contracted to undertake an in-depth electoral analysis for Bihar assembly elections in 2010”.
“If the company does manipulation, why were the BJP and the JD-U using it. But in his pack of lies, he forgot to tell the truth.”
Citing media reports, the BJP leader asked the Congress to clarify whether the now-sacked CA CEO Alexender Nix had met several opposition leaders to plan the UPA’s election strategy for 2019.
“How many times did Rahul Gandhi and Nix meet and what did they discuss? What is the CA’s role in Rahul Gandhi’s social media presence?
“It is a matter of grave concern for crores of online users in India that online data and browsing patterns are being used for such means. I want to specifically warn the Congress that the nation will not tolerate any kind of data theft or manipulation in India.”
He asked the “Grand Old Party” how much stolen data from Cambridge Analytica was in its possession and how much data of Indian users had been handed over to the firm by the Congress.
Alleging that the firm had been found using illegal means of data manipulation to subvert the democratic process in Kenya, Prasad said the Congress was aligning with such forces to divide the society and win elections.
Prasad, speaking about the concerns being raised over Cambridge Analytica influencing election results, said the government was in touch with the US Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice to assess the privacy violations of Indian users.
“We will also summon the company and Facebook to assess the data theft of Indian users and will take strictest action.”
Prasad reminded Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg of powers of India’s IT Act, saying “you better note the observation of the IT Minister of India”.
“If any data theft of Indians is done with the collusion of Facebook systems, it will not be tolerated. We have got stringent powers in the IT Act including summoning you in India.”
“As Law Minister of India let me make it very, very clear. We fully support freedom of press, freedom of speech and expression and free exchange of ideas on social media.
“But any attempt to covert or overt by the social media including Facebook of trying to influence India’s electoral process through undesirable means will neither be appreciated nor tolerated,” Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
The warning comes amid reports that a data analytics firm that worked with US President Donald Trump’s election team allegedly harvested millions of Facebook profiles of US voters to influence their choice at the ballot box.
Cambridge Analytica, a British consulting company, was accused of harvesting data of up to 50 million Facebook users without permission and using the data to help politicians, including Trump and the Brexit (Britain’s exit from the EU) campaign.
The European Union (EU) and British lawmakers have demanded that Facebook should clarify data breach following revelations that personal data was massively misused for political purposes.
British lawmakers have also summoned Zuckerberg to give oral evidence after “misleading to the Committee” occurred at a previous hearing.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has expressed her concern over the allegations that Cambridge Analytica exploited data of millions of Facebook users without their authorisation in election campaigns.
Facebook has already suspended Cambridge Analytica from its platform.
The social media giant admitted that an estimated 270,000 people had downloaded the app and shared their personal information with it.
However, the firm denied all wrongdoing and insisted it followed the correct procedures in obtaining and using data.
The Congress accused the BJP of seeking to divert attention from urgent issues through “fake news”.
“The BJP’s factory of fake news has produced one more fake product to divert attention of the people. When the country was asking questions about the 39 Indians killed in Iraq, to divert attention from the issues of Dalit and Adivasis, to divert the attention from Rahulji’s visit to Karnataka, they came up with another lie. (IANS)