Facebook shares tumble
Washington : Shares of Facebook Inc fell more than 5 per cent yesterday after the U.S. consumer protection regulator made public its investigation of how the social network allowed data of 50 million users to get into the hands of political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.
Scrutiny by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which generally confirms the existence of an investigation only in cases of significant public interest, adds to pressure by lawmakers in the United States and Europe for Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg to explain how his company handles user data.
Facebook shares briefly dipped below $150 on Monday for the first time since July 2017. The company has now lost more than $100 billion in market value in the last 10 days, when news reports first surfaced about Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook user data in Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
The company also faces rising discontent from advertisers and users. U.S. auto parts retailer Pep Boys suspended all advertising on Facebook, joining internet company Mozilla Corp which made a similar move last week.
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