Justice Department, FBI Investigating Cambridge Analytica

PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 20: In this photo illustration the Facebook logo is seen on the screen of an iPhone in front of a computer screen showing a Cambrige Analytica logo on March 20, 2018 in Paris, France. Cambridge... PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 20: In this photo illustration the Facebook logo is seen on the screen of an iPhone in front of a computer screen showing a Cambrige Analytica logo on March 20, 2018 in Paris, France. Cambridge Analytica is accused of collecting the personal information of 50 million users of the Facebook social network without their consent and would have used it to develop software to predict and influence voter voting during the campaign American election according to the New York Times and the Guardian. Facebook share price fell by more than 5% Monday shortly after the opening of Wall Street. (Photo Illustration by Chesnot/Getty Images) MORE LESS

May 16, 2018 7:20 a.m.

Start your day with TPM.

The Department of Justice and the FBI are investigating the now-inoperative Cambridge Analytica, the data firm that worked for President Donald Trump’s campaign and came under scrutiny for harvesting private data from millions of Facebook users, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

According to an American official and people familiar with the investigation who spoke with the Times, the DOJ and FBI in recent weeks have tried to question former employees and banks with which the company did business.

The investigation is reportedly in its early stages and investigators primarily want to get a handle on Cambridge Analytica’s business practices. The probe in the U.S. is focused mainly on the company’s finances and how it was able to gather and use personal data from more than 50 million Facebook users, according to the Times. The DOJ has also contacted Facebook as part of the probe, according to the U.S. official who spoke with the Times.

Earlier this month, the company said it would declare bankruptcy.

Read the New York Times’ full report here.

Start your day with TPM.

Nicole Lafond (@Nicole_Lafond) is TPM’s deputy editor, based in New York. She has also worked as the special projects editor and as a senior newswriter for TPM. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and previously covered education in central Illinois.

Have a tip? Send it Here!

Comments Continue Discussion

Notable Replies

davidn says:

May 16, 2018

From the article “Analytica’s business practices. The probe in the U.S. is focused mainly on the company’s finances”

So they know they are part of the TrumpLand mob, now they want to know their sugar daddy(s).

Assuming they can trace all that money, and my bet is on the FBI, this is going to be real interesting.
bojimbo26 says:

May 16, 2018

Not forgetting it has changed its name to Emadata ( I believe ) .
dave_mb says:

May 16, 2018

davidn:

So they know they are part of the TrumpLand mob, now they want to know their sugar daddy(s).

I think that was Mercer’s baby.
daveyjones64 says:

May 16, 2018

Yes. Which makes reporting like these statements, utter nonsense.

“The Department of Justice and the FBI are investigating the now inoperative Cambridge Analytica data firm”

“Earlier this month, the company said it would declare bankruptcy.”

They just moved the assets and personnel to another paper cut out. The speed with which they did that was astounding however, and raises a ton of red flags in its own right.

The FBI has to go after the people not the company charters.
quickq says:

May 16, 2018

Article did not mention names Bannon nor Guliani, but Wilie’s afternoon tv interviews did… this could get interesting!