Cook County sues Facebook: “It is the largest data-mining operation in existence”

 

The hits just keep on coming for Facebook and its media-narrative frenemy Cambridge Analytica. Earlier today, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said it was investigating Facebook for its privacy practices, and now Cook County, Illinois, is suing the two companies, accusing them of misusing the data of millions of Illinois residents.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the county is alleging in court that Cambridge Analytica “used ill-gotten Facebook data in an effort to influence voter behavior.”

The suit argues that Cambridge Analytica deceived millions of the state’s voters, and that Facebook failed in its duty to protect users’ privacy–and distorted how those users’ data would be used.

Facebook “sought to keep developers building on its platform and provide companies with all the tools they need to influence and manipulate user behavior,” the lawsuit alleges, according to the Tribune. “That’s because Facebook is not a social media company; it is the largest data mining operation in existence.”