After sending notice to the U.K.-based Cambridge Analytica last week,the Government of India has now sent a notice to Facebook amid controversy over misuse of its users’ data.
The government has raised five questions, including whether the personal data of Indian voters and users have been compromised, and specific steps proposed to be taken to prevent any misuse of personal data for potential interference in, or manipulation of, the Indian electoral process.
The government has asked Facebook to reply by April 7.
“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,” the notice states.
The government has asked Facebook whether the social networking site or its related or downstream agencies utilising its data have previously been engaged by any entities to manipulate the Indian electoral process.
In the notice sent to Cambridge Analytica, six questions were posed to it, including a demand to disclose whether data of Indian users was misused and name the entities that used their services. The company was asked to reply by March 31, and it is yet to respond.
