Fine imposed on Facebook over user privacy – UK lawmaker

In this Tuesday, April 18, 2017, file photo, conference workers speak in front of a demo booth at Facebook’s annual F8 developer conference, in San Jose, Calif. The chairman of the U.K. Parliament’s media committee says the government office that investigated the Cambridge Analytica scandal has fined Facebook 500,000 pounds ($663,000) for failing to safeguard users’ data. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

LONDON — The chairman of the United Kingdom Parliament’s media committee said the government office that investigated the Cambridge Analytica scandal has fined Facebook 500,000 pounds or $663,000 for failing to safeguard users’ data.

Damian Collins said the Information Commissioner’s Office concluded that Facebook “contravened the law by failing to safeguard people’s information.”

Collins said Wednesday that the social media giant “should now make the results of their internal investigations known to the ICO, our committee and other relevant investigatory authorities.”

Facebook has been under scrutiny since allegations surfaced that London-based political consultancy Cambridge Analytica used data from tens of millions of Facebook accounts to help United States President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign.

The alleged offenses took place before the roll out of new European Union data protection laws that allow for much larger fines.  /kga