Facebook to notify users whose data was breached

Facebook has started notifying users that were affected by the Cambridge Analytica expose. About 87 million Facebook users who might have had their data shared with Cambridge Analytica will get a detailed message on their news feeds.

The social networking giant has launched a new “Protecting your Information” link set to appear at the top of the users’ feeds. The landing page lets users manage the third-party apps using the site to log-in and lets them know whether that information has been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica. Users could shut off their applications synced with Facebook and also the third-party access to their applications completely.

If your data was improperly obtained, Facebook will share a “how you’re affected” link and explain that a website a Facebook friend may have used was able to steal Facebook information and share it with Cambridge Analytica.

Additionally, the company also announced that it is working with nonprofits to improve the study of the ways in which its data is being used to impact elections. Elliot Schrage, Facebook's VP of Communications and Public Policy, and David Ginsberg, Director of Research outlined the plan and hammered home its focus on impartial data collection. “Facebook will not have any right to review or approve their research findings prior to publication,” the pair wrote.