CBI registers FIR against Cambridge Analytica, Global Science Research heads for 2018 Facebook data leak

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has lodged an FIR against Alexander Nix and Aleksandr Kogan - representatives of Cambridge Analytica and Global Science Research Limited - for their involvement in the illegal harvesting of data through Facebook that took place in 2018..As part of the data leak controversy, Kogan developed an app called ‘This is Your Digital Life’ that allowed Cambridge Analytica to collect the personal details of 80 million Facebook users around the world. This data included demographic information, page likes on Facebook, contents of private messages, etc, and was possibly used for profiling and influencing elections in India..As per the FIR, Facebook conveyed to the Indian government that 335 users Indian users had installed this app. Potentially, it was estimated that the data of 5.62 lakh friends of these persons was also harvested by the app..In July 2018, Group Coordinator (Cyber Law & Security) of the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Rakesh Maheshwari requested the CBI to conduct a preliminary enquiry into the matter. This, after Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee gave a legal opinion that Cambridge Analytica has violated Section 43(a) (illegally accessing computer, computer system or computer network) read with Sections 66 (computer related offences) and 66B (punishment for dishonestly receiving stolen computer resource) of the Information Technology Act and Section 171C (undue influence at elections) of the Indian Penal Code..In its preliminary enquiry, the CBI found that Facebook had collected written certificates from Kogan and Cambridge Analytica declaring that the data obtained through the app was accounted for and destroyed. A letter sent by Additional Superintendent of Police, CBI states,“This fact confirms that M/S Global Science Research Limited, UK illegally harvested datasets and provided the same to M/S Cambridge Analytica (UK) Limited for commercial purposes. However, enquiry could not authenticate the veracity of the claims of M/S Global Science Research Limited, UK and M/S Cambridge Analytica (UK) Limited that they had destroyed the said datasets.”.Thus, the CBI concluded that Kogan’s company illegally harvested user data through the app and gave the right to use these datasets to Cambridge Analytica. In this light, an FIR has been lodged under the aforementioned provisions of law.