India asks Facebook to respond to data breach allegations by April 7

The government has asked social networking giant Facebook provide details about the alleged data breach relating to Cambridge Analytica's use of Facebook profiles to influence elections.

On March 23, the Ministry of Electronics and Technology issued a letter to Cambridge Analytica with regard to reports in the media about questionable practices attributed to the data analytics company in their efforts to influence elections.

On Wednesday, the Ministry sent a letter to Facebook to explain the data breach and furnish a response by April 7, it said in a statement.

MeitY has specifically asked for a response to the following questions:

1. Whether the personal data of Indian voters and users has been compromised by Cambridge Analytica or any other downstream entity in any manner, and if so, how was it compromised?
2. Whether Facebook or its related or downstream agencies utilising Facebook’s data have previously been engaged by any entities to manipulate the Indian electoral process?
3. If any such downstream entity misused data from Facebook, what is the protection available to the data subject?
4. What are the specific steps proposed to be taken by Facebook to prevent any misuse of personal data for potential interference in, or manipulation of the Indian electoral process?
5.  Facebook today has its largest footprint in India in terms of its user base and therefore what proactive measures are being taken to ensure the safety, security and privacy of such large user data and to prevent its misuse by any third party?

Firms like Cambridge Analytica buy or obtain data from various sources, take this vast amount of unconnected data, match it with voter profiles and databases, identify the voting preferences of every single voter within an area, and target those who can be “turned” into a successful vote for their client.

The firm has been in the eye of a storm since the past couple of weeks after one of its former employees, Christopher Wylie made public details of how Cambridge Analytica has influenced elections in countries across the world.

India has also been caught in the cross hairs after politicians sparred over  whether the Indian National Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party also employed the data analytics firm. Deposing in front of the UK Parliament yesterday, Wylie said he believed Congress was a client  of Cambridge Analytica.