Facebook Data Breach

India is among largest market for Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook is facing scrutiny after personal data of 87 million users were harvested by UK-based political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica

The people behind the attack were a group of Facebook and Instagram spammers that present themselves as a digital marketing company

The company said it would message affected users over the coming days to tell them what type of information had been accessed in the attack

Around the world, Facebook and other social networking platforms are facing a backlash over their failures to safeguard privacy, disinformation campaigns and the digital reach of hate groups

The British marketing analytics firm, filed for voluntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the Southern District of New York, court filings showed

That removes a huge potential liability for Facebook, as the new EU law allows for fines of up to 4 percent of global annual revenue for infractions

Zuckerberg's appearance, his first before Congress, turned into something of a pointed gripe session

"I started Facebook, I run it, and I'm responsible for what happens here."

Facebook admits the data of a little over half a million Indians was compromised

A Facebook spokesperson said a possible breach of data of 562,455 users happened after 335 Facebook users in India installed a quiz app, "thisisyourdigitallife" between November 2013 and December 2015

Zuckerberg is scheduled to appear on Tuesday before a joint hearing of two U.S. Senate committees, and on Wednesday before a U.S. House committee

British Columbia's privacy commissioner is separately investigating AggregateIQ over whether the company had broken provincial personal privacy rules for its role in the Brexit campaign

Facebook also said data on as many as 87 million people, most of them in the US, may have been improperly shared with research firm Cambridge Analytica

This hearing will be an important opportunity to shed light on critical consumer data privacy issues

Facebook's actions - or inactions - facilitated breaches of privacy and human rights associated with democratic governance

Some Facebook executives have taken to Twitter for a public charm offensive, sending pithy phrases and emoticons to reporters who cover the company

Facebook adjusted the privacy settings on its service on Wednesday, giving users control over their personal information in fewer taps

The ministry raised five questions for Facebook, including whether the personal data of Indian voters and users has been compromised by Cambridge Analytica

Shares were up 1.9 per cent in early trading at 7:36 a.m. in New York