NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has written a letter to
Facebook seeking information over the issue of
data leak from the platform of the social media giant.
This comes in the wake of reports that
Cambridge Analytica had used Facebook users' data to "influence" election results in several countries.
In the letter, the ministry posed a series of questions to Facebook —
"Whether personal data of Indian voters and users has been compromised by CA?"
"Whether Facebook or its related or downstream agencies utilizing Facebook’s data have previously been engaged by any entities to manipulate the Indian electoral process?"
The ministry has asked the company to submit the details by April 7.
The letter to Facebook comes days after a notice was sent to Cambridge Analytica over the media reports accusing it of adopting questionable practices to influence elections.
Last week, the IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had warned social media companies, such as Facebook of "stringent action", if any attempt was made by them to interfere in the country's electoral process.
"...let me make it very, very clear, we fully support freedom of press, speech and expression; we fully support free exchange of ideas on social media. But any attempt, covert or overt, by social media, including Facebook, of trying to influence India's electoral process through undesirable means will neither be appreciated nor be tolerated," Prasad had said.
"If need be, stringent action will be taken," the minister added.
Prasad also cautioned Facebook's CEO,
Mark Zuckerberg, of repercussions under IT Act in case any data breach came to light.
"Mr Mark Zuckerberg you better note the observation of the IT Minister of India. We welcome the FB profile in India, but if any data theft of Indians is done through the collusion of FB system, it shall not be tolerated. We have got stringent power in the IT Act, we shall use it, including summoning you in India," Prasad had said.
Facebook is in the middle of a controversy over a potential breach of user confidentiality. It was reported that Cambridge Analytica, a London-based data consultancy firm, has allegedly been harvesting millions of Facebook users' personal data to unfairly influence election results.
