Mark Zuckerberg-led social media giant Facebook continues to be embroiled in trouble as three users of its Messenger app sued the company yesterday.&nbsp;

The users alleged that the Facebook violated their privacy by collecting logs of their phone calls and text messages.

The lawsuit has been filed in federal court in the Northern District of California, United States. The complainants seek a class action on behalf of all affected users.

Facebook reels from a scandal over its handling of personal data. On Sunday the company acknowledged logging some users’ call and text history but clarifying that the same was done only if and when Android users opted in.

Facebook has also noted that it does not collect the content of calls or text messages, and that information is securely stored while no data is sold to third parties.

Almost all British national newspapers on Sunday carried a full-page apology from Facebook in the wake of the data privacy scandal. The apology was signed by Mark Zuckerberg who stated that "This was a &nbsp;breach of trust, I am sorry we didn't do more at the time. We are now taking steps to make sure that this doesn't happen again.&nbsp;

In the apology, Zuckerberg claimed that a quiz, developed by a university researcher, "leaked Facebook data of millions of people in 2014".

"We have already stopped apps like this from getting so much information. Now we're limiting the data apps get when you sign in using Facebook," the ad read.

Zuckerberg-led Facebook has lost over $50 billion in market value since the allegations surfaced.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The users alleged that the Facebook violated their privacy by collecting logs of their phone calls and text messages

Mark Zuckerberg-led social media giant Facebook continues to be embroiled in trouble as three users of its Messenger app sued the company yesterday. The users alleged that the Facebook violated their privacy by collecting logs of their phone calls and text messages. The lawsuit has been filed in federal court in the Northern District of California, United States. The complainants seek a class action on behalf of all affected users. Facebook reels from a scandal over its handling of personal data. On Sunday the company acknowledged logging some users’ call and text history but clarifying that the same was done only if and when Android users opted in. Facebook has also noted that it does not collect the content of calls or text messages, and that information is securely stored while no data is sold to third parties. Almost all British national newspapers on Sunday carried a full-page apology from Facebook in the wake of the data privacy scandal. The apology was signed by Mark Zuckerberg who stated that "This was a breach of trust, I am sorry we didn't do more at the time. We are now taking steps to make sure that this doesn't happen again. In the apology, Zuckerberg claimed that a quiz, developed by a university researcher, "leaked Facebook data of millions of people in 2014". "We have already stopped apps like this from getting so much information. Now we're limiting the data apps get when you sign in using Facebook," the ad read. Zuckerberg-led Facebook has lost over $50 billion in market value since the allegations surfaced. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook data leak: Three users sue company in the US

Colombia, which will hold presidential elections in May, on Wednesday blocked access to a cell phone application it said might be connected with Cambridge Analytica, the political consultancy that has been accused of violating Facebook users' privacy to influence elections in Britain and the United States.

Lawmakers in the United States and Europe are demanding to know more about Facebook's privacy practices after a whistleblower said Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed data to target US&nbsp;and British voters in close-run elections.

Colombia's commerce regulator said in a statement it would block an application called Pig.gi, which gives users free top-ups in exchange for receiving ads and recommending their friends. The app has more than a million downloads in Colombia and Mexico combined, the regulator said.

The app, which users download via the Google Play store and sign into using their Facebook account, is administered by Farrow Colombia SAS and Farrow Mexico SAPI&nbsp;de CV, the statement said.

Attempts to reach Farrow for comment were unsuccessful. A number listed for Farrow in Colombia belongs to another company. There is no listed number for the Mexico branch of the company.

"As a preventative measure and taking into account the potential risk of a wrongful and massive illegal use of the personal data of thousands of Colombians collected via the download of the Pig.gi application, the application Pig.gi is temporarily blocked while appropriate investigations are undertaken and definitive decisions adopted," the regulator said.

The regulator did not specify what evidence it had of a connection between Cambridge Analytica and Farrow. The application will be blocked on the Google Play app store and on social media, as will websites where it can be downloaded.

The regulator added it has requested cooperation and information from its counterparts in the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and Mexico.

Facebook announced a series of changes on Wednesday to give users more control over their data, after the scandal wiped more than $100 billion from its stock market value.

Cambridge Analytica has said it did not use Facebook data in US&nbsp;President Donald Trump's campaign, and that it had deleted all Facebook data it obtained from a third-party app in 2014 after learning the information did not adhere to data protection rules.

Colombia will hold presidential elections on May 27.

Colombia on Wednesday blocked access to a cell phone application saying might be connected with Cambridge Analytica

Colombia, which will hold presidential elections in May, on Wednesday blocked access to a cell phone application it said might be connected with Cambridge Analytica, the political consultancy that has been accused of violating Facebook users' privacy to influence elections in Britain and the United States. Lawmakers in the United States and Europe are demanding to know more about Facebook's privacy practices after a whistleblower said Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed data to target US and British voters in close-run elections. Colombia's commerce regulator said in a statement it would block an application called Pig.gi, which gives users free top-ups in exchange for receiving ads and recommending their friends. The app has more than a million downloads in Colombia and Mexico combined, the regulator said. The app, which users download via the Google Play store and sign into using their Facebook account, is administered by Farrow Colombia SAS and Farrow Mexico SAPI de CV, the statement said. Attempts to reach Farrow for comment were unsuccessful. A number listed for Farrow in Colombia belongs to another company. There is no listed number for the Mexico branch of the company. "As a preventative measure and taking into account the potential risk of a wrongful and massive illegal use of the personal data of thousands of Colombians collected via the download of the Pig.gi application, the application Pig.gi is temporarily blocked while appropriate investigations are undertaken and definitive decisions adopted," the regulator said. The regulator did not specify what evidence it had of a connection between Cambridge Analytica and Farrow. The application will be blocked on the Google Play app store and on social media, as will websites where it can be downloaded. The regulator added it has requested cooperation and information from its counterparts in the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and Mexico. Facebook announced a series of changes on Wednesday to give users more control over their data, after the scandal wiped more than $100 billion from its stock market value. Cambridge Analytica has said it did not use Facebook data in US President Donald Trump's campaign, and that it had deleted all Facebook data it obtained from a third-party app in 2014 after learning the information did not adhere to data protection rules. Colombia will hold presidential elections on May 27.

Colombia blocks app it says possibly linked to Cambridge Analytica

India has issued a notice to Facebook on Wednesday on issues over breaching data and influencing electoral processes. &nbsp;

The decision comes after a notice was issued to Cambridge Analytica recently. Sources say that Facebook is expected to reply by April 5.&nbsp;The notice came even before the deadline for responses given to Cambridge Analytica March 31.

After reports of Facebook breaching data and influencing electoral processes, the government on March 21 had warned the social networking giant saying it can even summon Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook if found guilty

Facebook has the largest user base in India and the current situation is very serious for the Indian democracy.

Some questions posed in the notice included -&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Whether data of Indian voters was compromised?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Have elections been manipulated in the past by Facebook?</li>
	<li>What kind of protection is available to users?</li>
	<li>What steps is Facebook taking to prevent misuse?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>How can Facebook ensure safety, security of users?</li>
</ul>

Last week, Minister of Electronics and IT, and Law & Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Facebook is welcome to operate in India. I am happy that it has the largest footprint in India with around 20 crore users, but any attempt by Facebook or vendor like Cambridge Analytica to influence elections will not be tolerated.”

He had said the matter has become critical in India too because Facebook and Cambridge Analytica are found to be involved in influencing elections in an undesirable manner and the company to admitting the same.&nbsp;

The notice comes even before the deadline for responses given to Cambridge Analytica March 31

India has issued a notice to Facebook on Wednesday on issues over breaching data and influencing electoral processes. The decision comes after a notice was issued to Cambridge Analytica recently. Sources say that Facebook is expected to reply by April 5. The notice came even before the deadline for responses given to Cambridge Analytica March 31. After reports of Facebook breaching data and influencing electoral processes, the government on March 21 had warned the social networking giant saying it can even summon Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook if found guilty Facebook has the largest user base in India and the current situation is very serious for the Indian democracy. Some questions posed in the notice included - Whether data of Indian voters was compromised? Have elections been manipulated in the past by Facebook? What kind of protection is available to users? What steps is Facebook taking to prevent misuse? How can Facebook ensure safety, security of users? Last week, Minister of Electronics and IT, and Law & Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Facebook is welcome to operate in India. I am happy that it has the largest footprint in India with around 20 crore users, but any attempt by Facebook or vendor like Cambridge Analytica to influence elections will not be tolerated.” He had said the matter has become critical in India too because Facebook and Cambridge Analytica are found to be involved in influencing elections in an undesirable manner and the company to admitting the same.

India issues notice to Facebook, asks for reply by April 5

Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar has now permanently deleted his personal account on Facebook. This comes in the wake of the social media giant facing a backlash on the issue of data breach.&nbsp;

The 44-year-old celebrity is the latest to quit Facebook, however, he did not mention the exact reason for quitting the platform. He shared the news on Twitter Tuesday morning and wrote: "Good morning. This is to inform you all that I have permanently deleted my personal Facebook account. However, the verified Farhan Akhtar Live page is still active.”

Facebook is under fire for <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-apologises-for-data-scandal-in-uk-newspaper-ads-37015">leaking information of users without their knowledge</a> to the British firm, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/everything-you-want-to-know-about-cambridge-analytica-36662">Cambridge Analytica</a> which allegedly helped Trump’s political campaign in 2016. A couple days ago, Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook chief took out full-page ads in almost all of Britain's national newspapers Sunday to apologise for the huge data privacy scandal.

Zuckerberg said, "We have a responsibility to protect your information. If we can't we don't deserve it. This was a breach of trust, and I'm sorry we didn't do more at the time. We're now taking steps to make sure this doesn't happen again.&nbsp;

Facebook has come under fire for leaking private information of several users, in partnership with a British firm called Cambridge Analytica

Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar has now permanently deleted his personal account on Facebook. This comes in the wake of the social media giant facing a backlash on the issue of data breach. The 44-year-old celebrity is the latest to quit Facebook, however, he did not mention the exact reason for quitting the platform. He shared the news on Twitter Tuesday morning and wrote: "Good morning. This is to inform you all that I have permanently deleted my personal Facebook account. However, the verified Farhan Akhtar Live page is still active.” Facebook is under fire for leaking information of users without their knowledge to the British firm, Cambridge Analytica which allegedly helped Trump’s political campaign in 2016. A couple days ago, Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook chief took out full-page ads in almost all of Britain's national newspapers Sunday to apologise for the huge data privacy scandal. Zuckerberg said, "We have a responsibility to protect your information. If we can't we don't deserve it. This was a breach of trust, and I'm sorry we didn't do more at the time. We're now taking steps to make sure this doesn't happen again.

Farhan Akhtar scared of Facebook's leak of personal data, deletes his profile

The US Federal Trade Commission has confirmed that Facebook is under investigation into its privacy practices, amidst allegations that its connection with British company Cambridge Analytica resulted in misuse of personal data of some 50 million users.

The FTC, in a statement yesterday, confirmed that it has an "open non-public investigation" into Facebook's privacy practices.

"FTC takes very seriously recent press reports raising substantial concerns about the privacy practices of Facebook, said Tom Pahl," FTC's Acting Director in the Bureau of Consumer Protection said.

Pahl said the FTC is firmly and fully committed to using all of its tools to protect the privacy of consumers.

"Foremost among these tools is enforcement action against companies that fail to honour their privacy promises, including to comply with Privacy Shield, or that engage in unfair acts that cause substantial injury to consumers in violation of the FTC Act," the statement said.

"Companies who have settled previous FTC actions must also comply with FTC order provisions imposing privacy and data security requirements," it said.

In a related development, attorney generals of as many as 37 states yesterday sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg calling for answers to reports that millions of Facebook users personal data were provided to third parties without their knowledge or informed consent.

In the letter, the attorney generals demand to know about Facebook's role in the manipulation of users data by Cambridge Analytica "without those users' knowledge"&nbspas well as Facebook's policies and procedures for protecting users private data.

The letter requests that Facebook produce information regarding their business practices and safeguards to protect users' privacy.

Signatories to the letter, among others, includes New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S Grewal.

Early reports indicate that user data of at least 50 million Facebook profiles may have been misused and misappropriated by third-party software developers, the letter said.

"According to these reports, Facebook's previous policies allowed developers to access the personal data of "friends" of people who used applications on the platform, without the knowledge or express consent of those "friends"," the attorney generals said.

It has also been reported that while providing other developers access to personal Facebook user data, Facebook took as much as 30 per cent of payments made through the developers' applications by Facebook users, they said.

"Facebook apparently contends that this incident of harvesting tens of millions of profiles was not the result of a technical data breach however, the reports allege that Facebook allowed third parties to obtain personal data of users who never authorised it, and relied on terms of service and settings that were confusing and perhaps misleading to its users," the letter said.

These revelations raise many serious questions concerning Facebook's policies and practices, and the processes in place to ensure they are followed, they said.

According to the attorney general, even with the changes Facebook has made in recent years, many users still don't know that their profile&nbspand personal data&nbspis available to third-party vendors.

"Facebook has made promises about users privacy in the past, and we need to know that users can trust Facebook. With the information we have now, our trust has been broken," the letter said.

The letter requests that Facebook produce information regarding their business practices and safeguards to protect users' privacy

The US Federal Trade Commission has confirmed that Facebook is under investigation into its privacy practices, amidst allegations that its connection with British company Cambridge Analytica resulted in misuse of personal data of some 50 million users. The FTC, in a statement yesterday, confirmed that it has an "open non-public investigation" into Facebook's privacy practices. "FTC takes very seriously recent press reports raising substantial concerns about the privacy practices of Facebook, said Tom Pahl," FTC's Acting Director in the Bureau of Consumer Protection said. Pahl said the FTC is firmly and fully committed to using all of its tools to protect the privacy of consumers. "Foremost among these tools is enforcement action against companies that fail to honour their privacy promises, including to comply with Privacy Shield, or that engage in unfair acts that cause substantial injury to consumers in violation of the FTC Act," the statement said. "Companies who have settled previous FTC actions must also comply with FTC order provisions imposing privacy and data security requirements," it said. In a related development, attorney generals of as many as 37 states yesterday sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg calling for answers to reports that millions of Facebook users personal data were provided to third parties without their knowledge or informed consent. In the letter, the attorney generals demand to know about Facebook's role in the manipulation of users data by Cambridge Analytica "without those users' knowledge"&nbspas well as Facebook's policies and procedures for protecting users private data. The letter requests that Facebook produce information regarding their business practices and safeguards to protect users' privacy. Signatories to the letter, among others, includes New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S Grewal. Early reports indicate that user data of at least 50 million Facebook profiles may have been misused and misappropriated by third-party software developers, the letter said. "According to these reports, Facebook's previous policies allowed developers to access the personal data of "friends" of people who used applications on the platform, without the knowledge or express consent of those "friends"," the attorney generals said. It has also been reported that while providing other developers access to personal Facebook user data, Facebook took as much as 30 per cent of payments made through the developers' applications by Facebook users, they said. "Facebook apparently contends that this incident of harvesting tens of millions of profiles was not the result of a technical data breach however, the reports allege that Facebook allowed third parties to obtain personal data of users who never authorised it, and relied on terms of service and settings that were confusing and perhaps misleading to its users," the letter said. These revelations raise many serious questions concerning Facebook's policies and practices, and the processes in place to ensure they are followed, they said. According to the attorney general, even with the changes Facebook has made in recent years, many users still don't know that their profile&nbspand personal data&nbspis available to third-party vendors. "Facebook has made promises about users privacy in the past, and we need to know that users can trust Facebook. With the information we have now, our trust has been broken," the letter said.

Facebook faces probe by US trade commission

In the wake of the ongoing turmoil faced by the social media giant Facebook, Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group took to Twitter on Monday contemplating the possibility of an alternative to Facebook.

"Beginning to wonder if it’s time to consider having our own social networking company," the 62-year-old tweeted.

Mahindra also noted that the alternative social networking platform must be "very widely owned, professionally managed and willingly regulated".

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Beginning to wonder if it’s time to consider having our own social networking company that is very widely owned&professionally managed&willingly regulated.Any relevant Indian start-ups out there?If any young teams have such plans I’d like to see if I can assist with seed capital <a href="https://t.co/nBSkQk0hCp">pic.twitter.com/nBSkQk0hCp</a>
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) <a href="https://twitter.com/anandmahindra/status/978258270300327936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

He welcomed young leaders and entrepreneurs of the country for&nbspplans and ideas on similar lines.&nbsp

"Any relevant Indian start-ups out there? If any young teams have such plans I’d like to see if I can assist with seed capital," read Mahindra's tweet.&nbsp

Going by the strong footing and capital gains that the Mahindra groups enjoy, the possibility of its investment in a similar project would not come as a surprise. Tech Mahindra,&nbspMahindra Group's IT wing, is one of the top software exporters in the country.

Mahindra welcomed young leaders and entrepreneurs of the country for plans and ideas on similar lines

In the wake of the ongoing turmoil faced by the social media giant Facebook, Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group took to Twitter on Monday contemplating the possibility of an alternative to Facebook. "Beginning to wonder if it’s time to consider having our own social networking company," the 62-year-old tweeted. Mahindra also noted that the alternative social networking platform must be "very widely owned, professionally managed and willingly regulated". Beginning to wonder if it’s time to consider having our own social networking company that is very widely owned&professionally managed&willingly regulated.Any relevant Indian start-ups out there?If any young teams have such plans I’d like to see if I can assist with seed capital pic.twitter.com/nBSkQk0hCp — anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 26, 2018 × He welcomed young leaders and entrepreneurs of the country for&nbspplans and ideas on similar lines. "Any relevant Indian start-ups out there? If any young teams have such plans I’d like to see if I can assist with seed capital," read Mahindra's tweet. Going by the strong footing and capital gains that the Mahindra groups enjoy, the possibility of its investment in a similar project would not come as a surprise. Tech Mahindra,&nbspMahindra Group's IT wing, is one of the top software exporters in the country.

Facebook crisis: Anand Mahindra considers 'having own social networking company'

Almost all British national newspapers yesterday carried a full-page apology from Facebook in the wake of the data privacy scandal. The apology was signed by Mark Zuckerberg who stated that "This was a &nbsp;breach of trust, I am sorry we didn't do more at the time. We are now taking steps to make sure that this doesn't happen again.&nbsp;

In the apology,&nbsp;Zuckerberg claimed that a quiz, developed by a university researcher, "leaked Facebook data of millions of people in 2014".

Zuckerberg hinted an extensive system and regulatory overhaul that the company will be undertaking to fix the existing loopholes and avert similar incidents from taking place.

However, there was no mention of the UK-based data analytics firm, Cambridge Analytica, the emerges at the centre of the Facebook data breach scandal.&nbsp;

"We have already stopped apps like this from getting so much information. Now we're limiting the data apps get when you sign in using Facebook," the ad read.

Zuckerberg also announced that now users will be equipped with the power to review all the apps that have access to their personal information -- "so you can shut off the ones you don't want any more".&nbsp;

Zuckerberg-led Facebook has lost over $50 billion in market value since the allegations surfaced.

"Thank you for believing in this community. I promise to do better for you," he wrote.

(With inputs from agencies)

'I promise to do better for you,' Zuckerberg noted

Almost all British national newspapers yesterday carried a full-page apology from Facebook in the wake of the data privacy scandal. The apology was signed by Mark Zuckerberg who stated that "This was a breach of trust, I am sorry we didn't do more at the time. We are now taking steps to make sure that this doesn't happen again. In the apology, Zuckerberg claimed that a quiz, developed by a university researcher, "leaked Facebook data of millions of people in 2014". Zuckerberg hinted an extensive system and regulatory overhaul that the company will be undertaking to fix the existing loopholes and avert similar incidents from taking place. However, there was no mention of the UK-based data analytics firm, Cambridge Analytica, the emerges at the centre of the Facebook data breach scandal. "We have already stopped apps like this from getting so much information. Now we're limiting the data apps get when you sign in using Facebook," the ad read. Zuckerberg also announced that now users will be equipped with the power to review all the apps that have access to their personal information -- "so you can shut off the ones you don't want any more". Zuckerberg-led Facebook has lost over $50 billion in market value since the allegations surfaced. "Thank you for believing in this community. I promise to do better for you," he wrote. (With inputs from agencies)

Leading British dailies carry Mark Zuckerberg's full-page apology

Facebook Inc, responding to reports in some technology industry media that it has been logging users'&nbsp;call and text history without their permission, said in a statement on Sunday that the function "has always been opt-in only."

The social media site said that when the feature is enabled by the user and contact information is uploaded, the platform can then use the given data when a call or text was made or received with Facebook Lite and Facebook Messenger services.

Facebook specified that it does not collect the content of calls or text messages and information is securely stored. This data is not sold to third parties, Facebook's statement said.

"You may have seen some recent reports that Facebook has been logging people's call and SMS (text) history without their permission. This is not the case," Facebook's statement said.

The Verge website reported that some Twitter users said they found months or years of call history data in their downloadable Facebook data file. Ars Technica reported Facebook requested access to contacts, SMS data and call history on Android devices to improve its friend recommendation algorithm.

"Call and text history logging is part of an opt-in feature for people using Messenger. While we receive certain permissions from Android, uploading this information has always been opt-in only," the world's largest social media network said.

"People have to expressly agree to use this feature," the statement said.

The leaders of the US&nbsp;House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee on Friday wrote to Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg detailing new concerns about the social media company's use of data and formally requesting that he testify at a hearing.

Facebook is under pressure from governments, investors and advertisers following allegations by a whistleblower that British political consultancy Cambridge

Analytica improperly accessed users'&nbsp;information to build profiles on American voters that were later used to help elect US&nbsp;President Donald Trump in 2016.

According to reports, Facebook requested access to contacts, SMS data and call history on Android devices to improve its friend recommendation algorithm

Facebook Inc, responding to reports in some technology industry media that it has been logging users' call and text history without their permission, said in a statement on Sunday that the function "has always been opt-in only." The social media site said that when the feature is enabled by the user and contact information is uploaded, the platform can then use the given data when a call or text was made or received with Facebook Lite and Facebook Messenger services. Facebook specified that it does not collect the content of calls or text messages and information is securely stored. This data is not sold to third parties, Facebook's statement said. "You may have seen some recent reports that Facebook has been logging people's call and SMS (text) history without their permission. This is not the case," Facebook's statement said. The Verge website reported that some Twitter users said they found months or years of call history data in their downloadable Facebook data file. Ars Technica reported Facebook requested access to contacts, SMS data and call history on Android devices to improve its friend recommendation algorithm. "Call and text history logging is part of an opt-in feature for people using Messenger. While we receive certain permissions from Android, uploading this information has always been opt-in only," the world's largest social media network said. "People have to expressly agree to use this feature," the statement said. The leaders of the US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee on Friday wrote to Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg detailing new concerns about the social media company's use of data and formally requesting that he testify at a hearing. Facebook is under pressure from governments, investors and advertisers following allegations by a whistleblower that British political consultancy Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed users' information to build profiles on American voters that were later used to help elect US President Donald Trump in 2016.

Facebook: Call, text history logging requires users' permission

A&nbsp;new report has emerged detailing a major data leak in India&#39;s biometric ID programme, Aadhaar, allowing access to private information, business technology news website ZDNet reported on Saturday.

According to the report, a security researcher from New Delhi, Karan Saini found out that one of the state-owned utility company is responsible for the breach.

Saini&nbsp;said that anyone with an Aadhaar number was affected.

The data breach allows anyone with the technical know-how &ldquo;to download private information on all Aadhaar holders&rdquo;. Anyone who knows what they are doing can access the full name, consumer number used by the utility company, and their unique 12-digit identity numbers, and their bank details, ZDNet said.

Even though the security lapse had been flagged to some government agencies over a period of time, it has yet to be fixed. ZDNet said it was withholding the name of the utility and other details.

&quot;This is a security lapse. You don&#39;t have to be a consumer to access these details. You just need the Uniform Resource Locator where the Application Programming Interface is located. These can be found in less than 20 minutes,&quot; Saini told Reuters.

However, UIDAI refuted reports in sections of media sourced from news website which quoted a man purportedly claiming to be a security researcher that a state-owned utility company has vulnerability which can be used to access a huge amount of Aadhaar data including banking details

Officials at UIDAI&nbsp;said: &quot;There is no truth in this story as there has been absolutely no breach of UIDAI&rsquo;s Aadhaar database. Aadhaar remains safe and secure.&quot;

Aadhaar, a biometric identification card with over 1.1 billion users, is the world&#39;s biggest database.

But it has been facing increased scrutiny over privacy concerns following several instances of breaches and misuse.

Last Thursday, the CEO of the UIDAI said the biometric data attached to each Aadhaar was safe from hacking as the storage facility was not connected to the internet.

&quot;Each Aadhaar biometric is encrypted by a 2048-key combination and to decode it, the best and fastest computer of our era will take the age of the universe just to hack into one card&#39;s biometric details,&quot; Ajay Bhushan Pandey said.

(with inputs from Reuters)

Business technology news website ZDNet reported the news on Saturday

A new report has emerged detailing a major data leak in India's biometric ID programme, Aadhaar, allowing access to private information, business technology news website ZDNet reported on Saturday. According to the report, a security researcher from New Delhi, Karan Saini found out that one of the state-owned utility company is responsible for the breach. Saini said that anyone with an Aadhaar number was affected. The data breach allows anyone with the technical know-how “to download private information on all Aadhaar holders”. Anyone who knows what they are doing can access the full name, consumer number used by the utility company, and their unique 12-digit identity numbers, and their bank details, ZDNet said. Even though the security lapse had been flagged to some government agencies over a period of time, it has yet to be fixed. ZDNet said it was withholding the name of the utility and other details. "This is a security lapse. You don't have to be a consumer to access these details. You just need the Uniform Resource Locator where the Application Programming Interface is located. These can be found in less than 20 minutes," Saini told Reuters. However, UIDAI refuted reports in sections of media sourced from news website which quoted a man purportedly claiming to be a security researcher that a state-owned utility company has vulnerability which can be used to access a huge amount of Aadhaar data including banking details Officials at UIDAI said: "There is no truth in this story as there has been absolutely no breach of UIDAI’s Aadhaar database. Aadhaar remains safe and secure." Aadhaar, a biometric identification card with over 1.1 billion users, is the world's biggest database. But it has been facing increased scrutiny over privacy concerns following several instances of breaches and misuse. Last Thursday, the CEO of the UIDAI said the biometric data attached to each Aadhaar was safe from hacking as the storage facility was not connected to the internet. "Each Aadhaar biometric is encrypted by a 2048-key combination and to decode it, the best and fastest computer of our era will take the age of the universe just to hack into one card's biometric details," Ajay Bhushan Pandey said. (with inputs from Reuters)

UIDAI denies allegations of data breach reported by news website

Indian Ministry of Information Technology&nbsp;issued a show-cause notice to UK based data mining company Cambridge Analytica on Thursday.

The notice seeks to enquire into Facebook data breach and details of the company&#39;s Indian clients besides other information.

The notice also sought the company&#39;s response to the method of data possession and whether the consent was taken from users or not.

On Wednesday, Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology&nbsp;Ravi Shankar Prasad warned Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg of &#39;stringent&#39; action if any attempt to misuse social media was made during upcoming 2019 elections.

He also threatened to &quot;summon&quot;&nbsp;Zuckerberg to India if needed.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Amid the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook data breach row, BJP and Congress both have gotten involved in the blame game of&nbsp;using services of Cambridge Analytica who has been accused of illegally mining private data of Facebook users.

Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Congress Party in a press conference, of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica whiles alleging that Congress is planning to use the firm&#39;s services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost Rahul Gandhi&#39;s profile.

He further asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company&#39;s role in his social media outreach.

Meanwhile, Congress has denied all allegations.

Refusing accusations, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, &quot;Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica,&quot;.

Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump&#39;s 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London&#39;s Observer reported on Saturday (March 18).

The reports have mentioned that the firm has worked for Indian clients as well.

Indian Ministry of Information Technology has issued a show-cause notice to UK based data mining company Cambridge Analytica on Thursday

Indian Ministry of Information Technology issued a show-cause notice to UK based data mining company Cambridge Analytica on Thursday. The notice seeks to enquire into Facebook data breach and details of the company's Indian clients besides other information. The notice also sought the company's response to the method of data possession and whether the consent was taken from users or not. On Wednesday, Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad warned Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg of 'stringent' action if any attempt to misuse social media was made during upcoming 2019 elections. He also threatened to "summon" Zuckerberg to India if needed. Amid the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook data breach row, BJP and Congress both have gotten involved in the blame game of using services of Cambridge Analytica who has been accused of illegally mining private data of Facebook users. Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Congress Party in a press conference, of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica whiles alleging that Congress is planning to use the firm's services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost Rahul Gandhi's profile. He further asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company's role in his social media outreach. Meanwhile, Congress has denied all allegations. Refusing accusations, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, "Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica,". Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London's Observer reported on Saturday (March 18). The reports have mentioned that the firm has worked for Indian clients as well.

Government issues show-cause notice to Cambridge Analytica

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zuckerberg-says-facebook-made-mistakes-on-user-data-vows-curbs-36672" target="_blank">Data breach: Zuckerberg says Facebook made mistakes on user data, vows curbs</a>

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that his company made mistakes in how it handled data belonging to 50 million of its users and promised tougher steps to restrict developers&#39; access to such information.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-announce-trade-sanctions-against-china-on-thursday-36677" target="_blank">Trump to announce trade sanctions against China on Thursday</a>

President Donald Trump is poised to unveil sanctions against China Thursday for the &quot;theft&quot; of US intellectual property, a White House official said, teeing up a second potential confrontation in as many months.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/court-orders-fir-against-cricketer-hardik-pandya-for-tweet-on-ambedkar-36680" target="_blank">Court orders FIR against cricketer Hardik Pandya for </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/court-orders-fir-against-cricketer-hardik-pandya-for-tweet-on-ambedkar-36680" target="_blank">tweet</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/court-orders-fir-against-cricketer-hardik-pandya-for-tweet-on-ambedkar-36680" target="_blank"> on Ambedkar</a>

A special SC/ST court in Jodhpur, Rajasthan has directed police to file an FIR against cricketer Hardik Pandya for an alleged tweet about Ambedkar.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/dravidian-language-family-is-4500-years-old-study-36676" target="_blank">Dravidian</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/dravidian-language-family-is-4500-years-old-study-36676" target="_blank"> language family is 4,500 years old: Study</a>

The Dravidian language family, consisting of 80 varieties spoken by nearly 220 million people across southern and central India, originated about 4,500 years ago, a study has found.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/texas-bomb-suspect-blows-himself-up-leaves-confession-36685" target="_blank">Texas bomb suspect blows himself up, leaves confession</a>

A man suspected of carrying out a series of bombings in the Texas capital Austin blew himself up Wednesday, leaving behind a recorded video &quot;confession&quot; that police said portrayed &quot;challenges in his personal life.&quot;

Data breach: Zuckerberg says Facebook made mistakes on user data, vows curbs Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that his company made mistakes in how it handled data belonging to 50 million of its users and promised tougher steps to restrict developers' access to such information. Trump to announce trade sanctions against China on Thursday President Donald Trump is poised to unveil sanctions against China Thursday for the "theft" of US intellectual property, a White House official said, teeing up a second potential confrontation in as many months. Court orders FIR against cricketer Hardik Pandya for tweet on Ambedkar A special SC/ST court in Jodhpur, Rajasthan has directed police to file an FIR against cricketer Hardik Pandya for an alleged tweet about Ambedkar. Dravidian language family is 4,500 years old: Study The Dravidian language family, consisting of 80 varieties spoken by nearly 220 million people across southern and central India, originated about 4,500 years ago, a study has found. Texas bomb suspect blows himself up, leaves confession A man suspected of carrying out a series of bombings in the Texas capital Austin blew himself up Wednesday, leaving behind a recorded video "confession" that police said portrayed "challenges in his personal life."

WION Morning News Brief, March 22, 2018

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/months-after-agni-v-launch-china-sells-missile-defence-tracking-system-to-pakistan-report-36746">Months after India&#39;s Agni V launch, China sells missile defence tracking system to Pakistan: Report</a>

Chinese authorities on Wednesday declassified information about selling advanced missile tracking system, according to news reports.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/facebook-enhancing-security-features-to-ensureintegrity-of-upcoming-elections-in-india-zuckerberg-36738">Facebook enhancing security features to ensure </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/facebook-enhancing-security-features-to-ensureintegrity-of-upcoming-elections-in-india-zuckerberg-36738">integrity</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/facebook-enhancing-security-features-to-ensureintegrity-of-upcoming-elections-in-india-zuckerberg-36738"> of upcoming elections in India: Zuckerberg</a>

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said that Facebook is enhancing its security features and working towards making the social media platform a secure place to ensure the integrity of upcoming elections in India.

Harassment row: Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mehmood to return to India

Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mehmood to India who was summoned by the government in the wake of &quot;harassment&quot; row will return to India on Friday, reports said.

Maldives President lifts state of emergency

Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom on Thursday lifted the 45-day State of Emergency that he imposed on February 5.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-pakistan-uses-military-helicopter-to-dry-wet-pitch-at-gaddafi-stadium-36731">Watch: Pakistan uses </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-pakistan-uses-military-helicopter-to-dry-wet-pitch-at-gaddafi-stadium-36731">military</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-pakistan-uses-military-helicopter-to-dry-wet-pitch-at-gaddafi-stadium-36731"> helicopter to dry wet pitch at Gaddafi Stadium</a>

Two army helicopters were employed on Wednesday to dry out the rain-hit wet pitch and outfield before the second eliminator to be played between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi at Lahore&#39;s Gaddafi Cricket Stadium.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-reprised-version-of-ek-do-teen-is-crass-beyond-imagination-tezaab-director-saroj-khan-to-seek-legal-action-36747">&#39;Reprised version of Ek Do Teen is crass beyond imagination&#39;: Tezaab director, Saroj Khan to seek legal action</a>

Jacqueline Fernandez&#39; version of iconic song Ek Do Teen from the film Baaghi 2 has not only received criticism from fans but the reprised version has irked makers of the original song.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Months after India's Agni V launch, China sells missile defence tracking system to Pakistan: Report Chinese authorities on Wednesday declassified information about selling advanced missile tracking system, according to news reports. Facebook enhancing security features to ensure integrity of upcoming elections in India: Zuckerberg Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said that Facebook is enhancing its security features and working towards making the social media platform a secure place to ensure the integrity of upcoming elections in India. Harassment row: Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mehmood to return to India Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mehmood to India who was summoned by the government in the wake of "harassment" row will return to India on Friday, reports said. Maldives President lifts state of emergency Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom on Thursday lifted the 45-day State of Emergency that he imposed on February 5. Watch: Pakistan uses military helicopter to dry wet pitch at Gaddafi Stadium Two army helicopters were employed on Wednesday to dry out the rain-hit wet pitch and outfield before the second eliminator to be played between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi at Lahore's Gaddafi Cricket Stadium. 'Reprised version of Ek Do Teen is crass beyond imagination': Tezaab director, Saroj Khan to seek legal action Jacqueline Fernandez' version of iconic song Ek Do Teen from the film Baaghi 2 has not only received criticism from fans but the reprised version has irked makers of the original song.

WION evening news brief, March 22, 2018

India today reacted on reports of social media giant Facebook&#39;s alleged involvement in the misuse of users&#39; private data. Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad broke his silence on the issue stating that India will not permit or tolerate any attempt to misuse social media.&nbsp;

&quot;Any covert or overt attempt to misuse social media including Facebook to influence India&#39;s electoral process through undesirable means will neither be tolerated nor be permitted,&quot; the minister noted.&nbsp;

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Any covert or overt attempt to misuse Social Media including Facebook to influence India&#39;s electoral process through undesirable means will neither be tolerated, nor be permitted : Shri <a href="https://twitter.com/rsprasad?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rsprasad</a>
&mdash; BJP (@BJP4India) <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4India/status/976368875653627904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Prasad further added that &quot;abuse of social media including Facebook cannot be allowed to impact the fairness of elections.&quot;

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Abuse of Social Media including Facebook cannot be allowed to impact the fairness of elections. In the wake of recent data theft from Facebook, let my stern warning be heard across the Atlantic, far away in California : Shri <a href="https://twitter.com/rsprasad?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rsprasad</a>
&mdash; BJP (@BJP4India) <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4India/status/976371847443881984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&quot;In the wake of recent data theft from Facebook, let my stern warning be heard across the Atlantic, far away in California,&quot; the minister exclaimed.&nbsp;

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We uphold the use of social media and it has empowered every citizen who can ask us questions directly now. But abuse of social media that too by using foreign firms will not be acceptable: <a href="https://twitter.com/rsprasad?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rsprasad</a>
&mdash; RSPrasad Office (@OfficeOfRSP) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRSP/status/976367706185322496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Prasad also accused the Congress Party of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica. &nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;What link does Cambridge Analytica have with social media management of Rahul Gandhi and Congress Party? Will the Congress Party now depend upon data manipulation and data theft to win elections?&quot; Prasad lashed out.&nbsp;

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There were news reports about use of bots to artificially increase the social media following of Rahul Gandhi in recent time: <a href="https://twitter.com/rsprasad?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rsprasad</a>
&mdash; RSPrasad Office (@OfficeOfRSP) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRSP/status/976365846737178624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The minister also claimed that there were reports of use of bots to artificially increase the social media following of Rahul Gandhi in recent time.&nbsp;

Ravi Shankar Prasad cited media reports about the opposition party&#39;s plan to use the firm&#39;s services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost its president Rahul Gandhi&#39;s profile. He asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company&#39;s role in his social media outreach.

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What link does Cambridge Analytica have with social media management of Rahul Gandhi and Congress Party? Asks <a href="https://twitter.com/rsprasad?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rsprasad</a>
&mdash; RSPrasad Office (@OfficeOfRSP) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRSP/status/976365265524011008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The firm, the Union minister said, has been accused of using &quot;sex, sleaze and fake news&quot; to influence elections and asked if the Congress too plans to walk the same path.

&quot;The Congress must explain if it has engaged in data trade with Cambridge Analytica,&quot; he said, questioning the opposition party&#39;s &quot;silence&quot; despite numerous reports of its link with the company.

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Cambridge Analytica, the agency roped in by Congress to run their 2019 campaign and termed as their &#39;Brahmastra&#39; in certain section of media, is accused of using bribes, sex workers to entrap politicians and stealing data from Facebook : Shri <a href="https://twitter.com/rsprasad?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rsprasad</a>
&mdash; BJP (@BJP4India) <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4India/status/976368962547081217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Targeting the Congress, he said the number of Gandhi&#39;s Twitter followers had shot up recently and wondered if it was due to the services of the firm that he achieved this &quot;fake popularity&quot;.

Prasad also accused the Congress Party of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica

India today reacted on reports of social media giant Facebook's alleged involvement in the misuse of users' private data. Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad broke his silence on the issue stating that India will not permit or tolerate any attempt to misuse social media. "Any covert or overt attempt to misuse social media including Facebook to influence India's electoral process through undesirable means will neither be tolerated nor be permitted," the minister noted. Any covert or overt attempt to misuse Social Media including Facebook to influence India's electoral process through undesirable means will neither be tolerated, nor be permitted : Shri @rsprasad — BJP (@BJP4India) March 21, 2018 × Prasad further added that "abuse of social media including Facebook cannot be allowed to impact the fairness of elections." Abuse of Social Media including Facebook cannot be allowed to impact the fairness of elections. In the wake of recent data theft from Facebook, let my stern warning be heard across the Atlantic, far away in California : Shri @rsprasad — BJP (@BJP4India) March 21, 2018 × "In the wake of recent data theft from Facebook, let my stern warning be heard across the Atlantic, far away in California," the minister exclaimed. We uphold the use of social media and it has empowered every citizen who can ask us questions directly now. But abuse of social media that too by using foreign firms will not be acceptable: @rsprasad — RSPrasad Office (@OfficeOfRSP) March 21, 2018 × Prasad also accused the Congress Party of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica. "What link does Cambridge Analytica have with social media management of Rahul Gandhi and Congress Party? Will the Congress Party now depend upon data manipulation and data theft to win elections?" Prasad lashed out. There were news reports about use of bots to artificially increase the social media following of Rahul Gandhi in recent time: @rsprasad — RSPrasad Office (@OfficeOfRSP) March 21, 2018 × The minister also claimed that there were reports of use of bots to artificially increase the social media following of Rahul Gandhi in recent time. Ravi Shankar Prasad cited media reports about the opposition party's plan to use the firm's services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost its president Rahul Gandhi's profile. He asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company's role in his social media outreach. What link does Cambridge Analytica have with social media management of Rahul Gandhi and Congress Party? Asks @rsprasad — RSPrasad Office (@OfficeOfRSP) March 21, 2018 × The firm, the Union minister said, has been accused of using "sex, sleaze and fake news" to influence elections and asked if the Congress too plans to walk the same path. "The Congress must explain if it has engaged in data trade with Cambridge Analytica," he said, questioning the opposition party's "silence" despite numerous reports of its link with the company. Cambridge Analytica, the agency roped in by Congress to run their 2019 campaign and termed as their 'Brahmastra' in certain section of media, is accused of using bribes, sex workers to entrap politicians and stealing data from Facebook : Shri @rsprasad — BJP (@BJP4India) March 21, 2018 × Targeting the Congress, he said the number of Gandhi's Twitter followers had shot up recently and wondered if it was due to the services of the firm that he achieved this "fake popularity".

Let my stern warning be heard across the Atlantic: Ravi Shankar Prasad on Facebook data breach

Cambridge Analytica has&nbsp;become the media&#39;s centre of attention in the United States and Britain and on Wednesday it became infamous in India as well.

Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/cambridge-analytica-facebook-row-indian-website-ovleno-currently-unavailable-36635"> Indian website &#39;Ovleno&#39; currently unavailable in Cambridge Analytica-Facebook </a>

The firm is now facing a government search of its London office, questions from US state authorities, and a demand by Facebook that it submit to a forensic audit.

Here is some of what is known about the company.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/uk-pm-mays-party-was-approached-by-cambridge-analytica-but-no-work-undertaken-spokesman-36644">Also read: UK PM May&#39;s party was approached by Cambridge Analytica, but no work undertaken says </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/uk-pm-mays-party-was-approached-by-cambridge-analytica-but-no-work-undertaken-spokesman-36644">Spokesman</a>

What is Cambridge Analytica and what do they do?

A branch of SCL group, Cambridge Analytica works on everything from security research to counter-narcotics to political campaigns.

According to the New York Times report, Cambridge Analytics -- created around 2013 -- was initially focused on US elections with $15 million in backing, from billionaire Republican donor Robert Mercer and a name chosen by future Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon.

The news report further states that the company assisted Republican Senator Ted Cruz&#39;s presidential campaign before they assisted in Trump&#39;s 2016 campaign.

Cambridge Analytica markets itself as providing consumer research, targeted advertising and other data-related services to both political and corporate clients.

Though the company&#39;s corporate clients have not listed&nbsp;on their site there two sections - CA commercial and political.

Under the CA political portfolio section names like Donald Trump campaign, Ted Cruz, Thom Tillis, Ben Carson etc were mentioned.

Britain&#39;s Channel 4 News reported on Monday, based on a secretly recorded video, that Cambridge Analytica secretly stage-managed Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta&#39;s campaigns in the hotly contested 2013 and 2017 elections.&nbsp;

However, the reports were denied by the Cambridge Analytica.

The company&#39;s website lists five office locations in New York, Washington, London, Brazil and Malaysia.

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Screengrab of the website of Cambridge Analytica. (Zee News Network)
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When did it first get attention?

The Company first got recognition after Trump won the 2016 presidential elections with the firm&#39;s help&nbsp;after the Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix reportedly went on to more clients to pitch his services.&nbsp;

The company boasted it could develop &quot;psychological profiles&quot;&nbsp;of consumers and voters which was a &quot;secret sauce&quot; it used to sway them more effectively than traditional advertising could.

Brad Parscale, who ran Trump&#39;s digital operations in 2016 though has refused to use Cambridge Analytica&#39;s data instead they relied on voter data from a Republican National Committee operation. 

What is it accused of?

The company is accused of illegally &quot;mining data&quot;&nbsp;of 50 million Facebook users that deceives both users and Facebook.

According to reports the data was harvested through an application developed by British academic Aleksandr Kogan.

According to a report by Reuters, some 270,000 people downloaded the application and logged in with their Facebook credentials, after which the application gathered their data and data about their friends&nbsp;which passed on to Cambridge Analytica by Kogan.

However, in a statement by Cambridge Analytica said that it did not initially know about Kogan violating Facebook&#39;s terms and they deleted the data once they found out in 2015.

But newspapers have reported that data has not been deleted. Cambridge Analytica has denied the allegations.

Reuters report quoted Facebook saying that it is investigating to verify the accuracy of the claim.

What happens next?

According to the Reuters report, Facebook has hired forensic auditors from the firms Stroz Friedberg for the audit and it is also pressurising Cambridge Analytica for further answers.

Facebook has further&nbsp;said that while they investigate&nbsp;it has suspended Cambridge Analytica, its parent SCL, Kogan and another man, Christopher Wylie, formerly of Cambridge Analytica, from its platform for violating Facebook rules.

Government authorities of USA and UK are also investigating the matter.

According to Reuters, the UK Information Commissioner&#39;s Office is pursuing a warrant to search Cambridge Analytica&#39;s office and asked Facebook&#39;s auditors to stand down in the meantime.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Cambridge Analytica is now facing a government search of its London office, questions from US state authorities, and a demand by Facebook that it submit to a forensic audit

Cambridge Analytica has become the media's centre of attention in the United States and Britain and on Wednesday it became infamous in India as well. Also read: Indian website 'Ovleno' currently unavailable in Cambridge Analytica-Facebook The firm is now facing a government search of its London office, questions from US state authorities, and a demand by Facebook that it submit to a forensic audit. Here is some of what is known about the company. Also read: UK PM May's party was approached by Cambridge Analytica, but no work undertaken says Spokesman What is Cambridge Analytica and what do they do? A branch of SCL group, Cambridge Analytica works on everything from security research to counter-narcotics to political campaigns. According to the New York Times report, Cambridge Analytics -- created around 2013 -- was initially focused on US elections with $15 million in backing, from billionaire Republican donor Robert Mercer and a name chosen by future Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon. The news report further states that the company assisted Republican Senator Ted Cruz's presidential campaign before they assisted in Trump's 2016 campaign. Cambridge Analytica markets itself as providing consumer research, targeted advertising and other data-related services to both political and corporate clients. Though the company's corporate clients have not listed on their site there two sections - CA commercial and political. Under the CA political portfolio section names like Donald Trump campaign, Ted Cruz, Thom Tillis, Ben Carson etc were mentioned. Britain's Channel 4 News reported on Monday, based on a secretly recorded video, that Cambridge Analytica secretly stage-managed Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta's campaigns in the hotly contested 2013 and 2017 elections. However, the reports were denied by the Cambridge Analytica. The company's website lists five office locations in New York, Washington, London, Brazil and Malaysia. Screengrab of the website of Cambridge Analytica. (Zee News Network) × When did it first get attention? The Company first got recognition after Trump won the 2016 presidential elections with the firm's help after the Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix reportedly went on to more clients to pitch his services. The company boasted it could develop "psychological profiles" of consumers and voters which was a "secret sauce" it used to sway them more effectively than traditional advertising could. Brad Parscale, who ran Trump's digital operations in 2016 though has refused to use Cambridge Analytica's data instead they relied on voter data from a Republican National Committee operation. What is it accused of? The company is accused of illegally "mining data" of 50 million Facebook users that deceives both users and Facebook. According to reports the data was harvested through an application developed by British academic Aleksandr Kogan. According to a report by Reuters, some 270,000 people downloaded the application and logged in with their Facebook credentials, after which the application gathered their data and data about their friends which passed on to Cambridge Analytica by Kogan. However, in a statement by Cambridge Analytica said that it did not initially know about Kogan violating Facebook's terms and they deleted the data once they found out in 2015. But newspapers have reported that data has not been deleted. Cambridge Analytica has denied the allegations. Reuters report quoted Facebook saying that it is investigating to verify the accuracy of the claim. What happens next? According to the Reuters report, Facebook has hired forensic auditors from the firms Stroz Friedberg for the audit and it is also pressurising Cambridge Analytica for further answers. Facebook has further said that while they investigate it has suspended Cambridge Analytica, its parent SCL, Kogan and another man, Christopher Wylie, formerly of Cambridge Analytica, from its platform for violating Facebook rules. Government authorities of USA and UK are also investigating the matter. According to Reuters, the UK Information Commissioner's Office is pursuing a warrant to search Cambridge Analytica's office and asked Facebook's auditors to stand down in the meantime. (With inputs from Reuters)

Everything you want to know about Cambridge Analytica

The official spokesperson of Bhartiya Janata Party, Sambit Patra addressed the allegations of BJP colluding with a data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica during the 2014 elections on Wednesday.

Sambit Patra said &quot;BJP has nothing to hide. Let me say that as far as 2014 BJP campaign is concerned 1,000 websites &amp; 10,000 individuals had sought credit for the same and we have seen the named company has downed its website after the allegations that it was carrying the name of BJP&quot;.

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BJP has nothing to hide. Let me say that as far as 2014 BJP campaign is concerned 1,000 websites &amp; 10,000 individuals had sought credit for the same&amp;we have seen the named company has downed its website after allegation that it was carrying the name of BJP: Sambit Patra, BJP <a href="https://t.co/vqU5HYdQv9">pic.twitter.com/vqU5HYdQv9</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/976437284877885441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Amid the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook data breach row, BJP and Congress have accused each other of using services of Cambridge Analytica to illegally mining private data of Facebook users.

Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Congress Party in a press conference, of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica whiles alleging that Congress is planning to use the firm&#39;s services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost Rahul Gandhi&#39;s profile.

He further asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company&#39;s role in his social media outreach.

Meanwhile, Congress has denied all allegations.

Refusing accusations, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, &quot;Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica,&quot;.

Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump&#39;s 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London&#39;s Observer reported on Saturday (March 18).

The reports have mentioned that the firm has worked for Indian clients as well.

The official spokesperson of Bhartiya Janata Party, Sambit Patra addressed the allegations of BJP colluding with a data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica during the 2014 elections on Wednesday

The official spokesperson of Bhartiya Janata Party, Sambit Patra addressed the allegations of BJP colluding with a data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica during the 2014 elections on Wednesday. Sambit Patra said "BJP has nothing to hide. Let me say that as far as 2014 BJP campaign is concerned 1,000 websites & 10,000 individuals had sought credit for the same and we have seen the named company has downed its website after the allegations that it was carrying the name of BJP". BJP has nothing to hide. Let me say that as far as 2014 BJP campaign is concerned 1,000 websites & 10,000 individuals had sought credit for the same&we have seen the named company has downed its website after allegation that it was carrying the name of BJP: Sambit Patra, BJP pic.twitter.com/vqU5HYdQv9 — ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2018 × Amid the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook data breach row, BJP and Congress have accused each other of using services of Cambridge Analytica to illegally mining private data of Facebook users. Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Congress Party in a press conference, of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica whiles alleging that Congress is planning to use the firm's services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost Rahul Gandhi's profile. He further asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company's role in his social media outreach. Meanwhile, Congress has denied all allegations. Refusing accusations, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, "Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica,". Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London's Observer reported on Saturday (March 18). The reports have mentioned that the firm has worked for Indian clients as well.

Cambridge Analytica-Facebook row: BJP has nothing to hide says Sambit Patra

Aadhaar, literally meaning &ldquo;base&rdquo;, is now being used as the new age identity proof. It will be needed not only for accessing government benefits, but also for verification of identity in the banking services, digital communication system, education sectors and even in public and private employment sectors.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Aadhaar is basically an 11 digit proof of identity system that is meant to play a crucial role in availing government and non-government services. According to S.3(3) of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 (The Act), every resident (not a citizen, as this term has not been mentioned in the provision) is entitled to obtain Aadhaar number after submission of biometrics and other related data and proper verification of the same by the government agency.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Act also mentions that the unique identification authority of India will take special measures to issue Aadhaar number to specific groups of individuals, including senior citizens, women, disabled persons etc.&nbsp; While the recent government decisions to mandatorily connect Aadhar with the banking system and telecommunication services has created a wide range of controversies, one must also be concerned about the security of &lsquo;Aadhaar of information&rsquo;, especially for the senior citizens and women.&nbsp; Aadhaar biometrics include image of iris, finger prints and photograph of the face. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

When the concept of Aadhar was introduced way back in 2010-11, it was not mandatory. Consequently, senior citizens and women might not have taken much interest in the same. But later, the Aadhar verification number was made essential for availing some government-aided services, including cooking gas connection. This was one of the very first steps to include Aadhaar as an essential &lsquo;card&rsquo; or identity proof for individuals.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

This essentialisation of Aadhaar remained questionable because several stakeholders raised the issue of limited awareness about it.&nbsp; Moreover, there were already too many verification processes needed for availing government schemes and there were not many Aadhaar card holders. Mostly, the cooking gas services were being availed by stakeholders by way of linking Aadhaar of the head of the families. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

This indeed questioned the basic understanding of the equal distribution of natural wealth through the social welfare system supported by the government. It was only with the demonetisation move in 2017 that Indian citizens, generally, became more concerned about mandatory nature of the Aadhaar card. Without the Card, banks would not extend their services equally to those who did not possess Aadhaar. It was at this juncture that individuals, irrespective of their gender and age, started registering for Aadhaar number and was also made aware of the privacy issues that was attached to this concept.

&nbsp;

Aadhaar may give unwarranted access to personal financial information as well as private mobile and landline numbers. Privacy right defenders have argued that this is against the basic norms of ensuring privacy as the Aadhaar system itself may not be foolproof. Recent report on possibilities Aadhaar information leakage has made their claim stronger.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

To check possible data leakages, the service providers, including the banking and telecom sector, are duty bound to ensure double verification system. The UIDIA itself is an &lsquo;authority&#39; to safeguard sensitive personal data like the biometrics. They have, time and again, released statements about their own strong mechanisms to prevent data leakage. However, this does not make the whole system free from concern.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Majority of the senior citizens in India are digitally illiterate and may have to depend on the younger generation to &lsquo;authenticate&rsquo; the Aadhaar online. The question of &lsquo;trust&rsquo; essentially arise here because the younger generation becomes the &lsquo;information conveyer&rsquo; to the older generation. The third party inclusion may automatically breach the privacy at the beginning. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Similarly, while senior citizens may possess mobile phone numbers, the recent call for linking Aadhaar number with telecom service industry has caused another havoc. Consider the plight of pensioners and other beneficiaries who may be availing financial benefits and depend majorly on the SMS system for receiving message regarding crediting or debiting of amounts in their accounts: the fear of blocking of the phone numbers&nbsp; because of not linking of Aadhaar with the same may create several health hazards for the senior citizens. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Indian government may not have an answer to such problems, particularly, at a time when the courts are being approached for ensuring senior citizen&rsquo;s rights. However, this constant tussle between government&rsquo;s responsibility towards ensuring holistic rights of senior citizens and the latter&rsquo;s silent suffering due to the problematic nature of &ldquo;Aadhaar of identity&quot; should not go unnoticed.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It is essential to make workable policies related to identity proof, which must not only provide assurance of safety but also should ensure the privacy of more vulnerable citizens of India.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

&nbsp;

The constant tussle between government’s responsibility towards ensuring holistic rights of senior citizens and the latter’s silent suffering due to the problematic nature of “Aadhaar of identity" should not go unnoticed.

Aadhaar, literally meaning “base”, is now being used as the new age identity proof. It will be needed not only for accessing government benefits, but also for verification of identity in the banking services, digital communication system, education sectors and even in public and private employment sectors. Aadhaar is basically an 11 digit proof of identity system that is meant to play a crucial role in availing government and non-government services. According to S.3(3) of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 (The Act), every resident (not a citizen, as this term has not been mentioned in the provision) is entitled to obtain Aadhaar number after submission of biometrics and other related data and proper verification of the same by the government agency. The Act also mentions that the unique identification authority of India will take special measures to issue Aadhaar number to specific groups of individuals, including senior citizens, women, disabled persons etc. While the recent government decisions to mandatorily connect Aadhar with the banking system and telecommunication services has created a wide range of controversies, one must also be concerned about the security of ‘Aadhaar of information’, especially for the senior citizens and women. Aadhaar biometrics include image of iris, finger prints and photograph of the face. When the concept of Aadhar was introduced way back in 2010-11, it was not mandatory. Consequently, senior citizens and women might not have taken much interest in the same. But later, the Aadhar verification number was made essential for availing some government-aided services, including cooking gas connection. This was one of the very first steps to include Aadhaar as an essential ‘card’ or identity proof for individuals. This essentialisation of Aadhaar remained questionable because several stakeholders raised the issue of limited awareness about it. Moreover, there were already too many verification processes needed for availing government schemes and there were not many Aadhaar card holders. Mostly, the cooking gas services were being availed by stakeholders by way of linking Aadhaar of the head of the families. This indeed questioned the basic understanding of the equal distribution of natural wealth through the social welfare system supported by the government. It was only with the demonetisation move in 2017 that Indian citizens, generally, became more concerned about mandatory nature of the Aadhaar card. Without the Card, banks would not extend their services equally to those who did not possess Aadhaar. It was at this juncture that individuals, irrespective of their gender and age, started registering for Aadhaar number and was also made aware of the privacy issues that was attached to this concept. Aadhaar may give unwarranted access to personal financial information as well as private mobile and landline numbers. Privacy right defenders have argued that this is against the basic norms of ensuring privacy as the Aadhaar system itself may not be foolproof. Recent report on possibilities Aadhaar information leakage has made their claim stronger. To check possible data leakages, the service providers, including the banking and telecom sector, are duty bound to ensure double verification system. The UIDIA itself is an ‘authority' to safeguard sensitive personal data like the biometrics. They have, time and again, released statements about their own strong mechanisms to prevent data leakage. However, this does not make the whole system free from concern. Majority of the senior citizens in India are digitally illiterate and may have to depend on the younger generation to ‘authenticate’ the Aadhaar online. The question of ‘trust’ essentially arise here because the younger generation becomes the ‘information conveyer’ to the older generation. The third party inclusion may automatically breach the privacy at the beginning. Similarly, while senior citizens may possess mobile phone numbers, the recent call for linking Aadhaar number with telecom service industry has caused another havoc. Consider the plight of pensioners and other beneficiaries who may be availing financial benefits and depend majorly on the SMS system for receiving message regarding crediting or debiting of amounts in their accounts: the fear of blocking of the phone numbers because of not linking of Aadhaar with the same may create several health hazards for the senior citizens. The Indian government may not have an answer to such problems, particularly, at a time when the courts are being approached for ensuring senior citizen’s rights. However, this constant tussle between government’s responsibility towards ensuring holistic rights of senior citizens and the latter’s silent suffering due to the problematic nature of “Aadhaar of identity" should not go unnoticed. It is essential to make workable policies related to identity proof, which must not only provide assurance of safety but also should ensure the privacy of more vulnerable citizens of India. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: How Aadhar impacts the senior citizens of India

A five-member constitution bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra will hear the various petitions challenging the validity of Aadhaar.

The PILs have also been filed regarding the linkage of the 12 digit number with mobile phones, bank accounts and others.&nbsp;

Debates on the validity of Aadhaar&nbsp;have been on the rise since the government introduced the identification number.&nbsp;

A recent media report had revealed a case of a<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/whatsapp-group-sold-aadhaar-details-for-rs-500-uidai-denies-report-28548" target="_blank"> major data breach</a> involving access to personal details of the cardholder&nbsp;with only Rs 500.

The Unique&nbsp;Identification Authority has recently introduced a more secure process for keeping the Aadhaar details safe. The Authority&nbsp;introduced <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/uidai-issues-virtual-id-against-aadhaar-to-strengthen-data-security-29128" target="_blank">virtual IDs </a>for Aadhaar holders which can be used in lieu of a person&#39;s Aadhaar number. It will be a random 16 digit number which will provide limited details like the name, address, and photograph of the holder.&nbsp;

It&nbsp;also said that it would also allow <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/uidai-says-face-recognition-will-be-allowed-to-verify-aadhaar-cardholders-29579" target="_top">Aadhaar cardholders to be verified by face recognition</a>.&nbsp;The facial authentication is expected to add a further layer of security to Aadhaar cardholders.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Expecttoday?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Expecttoday</a>: Supreme Court to begin hearing petitions challenging validity of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aadhaar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Aadhaar</a> and its mandatory linkage with several services
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/953443574225317889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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A five-member constitution bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of India will hear the various petitions challenging the validity of Aadhaar

A five-member constitution bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra will hear the various petitions challenging the validity of Aadhaar. The PILs have also been filed regarding the linkage of the 12 digit number with mobile phones, bank accounts and others. Debates on the validity of Aadhaar have been on the rise since the government introduced the identification number. A recent media report had revealed a case of a major data breach involving access to personal details of the cardholder with only Rs 500. The Unique Identification Authority has recently introduced a more secure process for keeping the Aadhaar details safe. The Authority introduced virtual IDs for Aadhaar holders which can be used in lieu of a person's Aadhaar number. It will be a random 16 digit number which will provide limited details like the name, address, and photograph of the holder. It also said that it would also allow Aadhaar cardholders to be verified by face recognition. The facial authentication is expected to add a further layer of security to Aadhaar cardholders. #Expecttoday: Supreme Court to begin hearing petitions challenging validity of #Aadhaar and its mandatory linkage with several services — ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2018 ×

Supreme Court to hear PILs against Aadhaar

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/us-state-fines-uber-with-89-million-for-unqualified-drivers-24703" target="_blank">Uber</a> revealed on Tuesday about a data breach that&nbsp;the ride-hailing company suffered&nbsp;in October&nbsp;2016.&nbsp;The data breach had reportedly affected about 57 million driver and rider accounts.&nbsp;

Information relating to their telephone numbers, emails, names had been compromised, the company said.&nbsp;The ride-hailing company fired its CEO&nbsp;Joe Sullivan&nbsp;for concealing details regarding the data breach.&nbsp;

The hackers demanded payment from Uber in return for&nbsp;stolen data. Uber paid an amount of $100,000 to ensure complete removal of the data.&nbsp;The issue came to notice recently when the company&#39;s board conducted an investigation into Uber&#39;s past.&nbsp;

The newly elected Chief Executive&nbsp;Dara Khosrowshahi has decided to take an action on the matter.&nbsp;

The incident happened during the tenure of Travis Kalanick- Uber&#39;s co-founder, who was the chief executive at the time of the breach.

&quot;None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it,&quot; Khosrowshahi said in a blog post.

According to the company&#39;s account, two individuals downloaded data from a web-based server at another company that provided Uber with cloud-computing services.

Kalanick learnt of the breach a month after it took place, in November 2016, as the company was in negotiations with the US&nbsp;Federal Trade Commission over the handling of consumer data, according to Bloomberg.

Khosrowshahi said he had hired Matt Olsen, former general counsel of the US&nbsp;National Security Agency, to help him figure out how to best guide and structure the company&#39;s security teams and processes.

&quot;While I can&rsquo;t erase the past, I can commit on behalf of every Uber employee that we will learn from our mistakes,&quot; he said.

&quot;We are changing the way we do business, putting integrity at the core of every decision we make and working hard to earn the trust of our customers,&quot;&nbsp;Khosrowshahi added.

Uber paid an amount of $100,000 to ensure complete removal of the data

Uber revealed on Tuesday about a data breach that the ride-hailing company suffered in October 2016. The data breach had reportedly affected about 57 million driver and rider accounts. Information relating to their telephone numbers, emails, names had been compromised, the company said. The ride-hailing company fired its CEO Joe Sullivan for concealing details regarding the data breach. The hackers demanded payment from Uber in return for stolen data. Uber paid an amount of $100,000 to ensure complete removal of the data. The issue came to notice recently when the company's board conducted an investigation into Uber's past. The newly elected Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi has decided to take an action on the matter. The incident happened during the tenure of Travis Kalanick- Uber's co-founder, who was the chief executive at the time of the breach. "None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it," Khosrowshahi said in a blog post. According to the company's account, two individuals downloaded data from a web-based server at another company that provided Uber with cloud-computing services. Kalanick learnt of the breach a month after it took place, in November 2016, as the company was in negotiations with the US Federal Trade Commission over the handling of consumer data, according to Bloomberg. Khosrowshahi said he had hired Matt Olsen, former general counsel of the US National Security Agency, to help him figure out how to best guide and structure the company's security teams and processes. "While I can’t erase the past, I can commit on behalf of every Uber employee that we will learn from our mistakes," he said. "We are changing the way we do business, putting integrity at the core of every decision we make and working hard to earn the trust of our customers," Khosrowshahi added.

Uber reports data breach affecting 57 million accounts

Yahoo said Wednesday personal data from over a billion users was stolen in a hack dating back to 2013 -- twice as big as another breach disclosed just three months ago.

In a huge blow to the struggling internet pioneer, Yahoo said it made the discovery as it was investigating what was already the largest data breach of a single company.&nbsp;

&quot;Yahoo believes an unauthorized third party, in August 2013, stole data associated with more than one billion user accounts,&quot; it said in a statement.&nbsp;

Yahoo said this case &quot;is likely distinct from the incident the company disclosed on September 22, 2016&quot; affecting 500 million users.

The news poses a fresh threat to Yahoo&#39;s deal to sell its core operating assets to Verizon for $4.8 billion.

In November, Yahoo disclosed that as part of its investigation into the prior breach, it had received data files from law enforcement &quot;that a third party claimed was Yahoo user data.&quot;

Source of hack unclear&nbsp;

Using outside forensic experts, Yahoo now confirms that this was indeed user data but added that it &quot;has not been able to identify the intrusion associated with this theft.&quot;&nbsp;

The statement added that &quot;Yahoo has taken steps to secure user accounts and is working closely with law enforcement.&quot;

Yahoo&#39;s chief security officer Bob Lord said in a blog post that some of the intrusions were done by hackers who accessed accounts without a password by using &quot;forged cookies,&quot; or data files which verify a device or user.

&quot;We believe an unauthorized third party accessed our proprietary code to learn how to forge cookies,&quot; he said, adding that &quot;we have connected some of this activity to the same state-sponsored actor believed to be responsible for the data theft the company disclosed on September 22.&quot;

Yahoo also said it was requiring affected users to change their passwords, and had invalidated unencrypted security questions and answers.

Yahoo said in September it believed the breach of information on 500 million users was &quot;state sponsored&quot; but some analysts have questioned this theory.

The stolen user account information in the newly disclosed breach may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, &quot;hashed&quot; passwords and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers, Yahoo said.

The hackers did not obtain passwords in clear text, payment card data, or bank account information, it said.

The latest breach discovery is a further embarrassment to a company that was one of the biggest names of the internet but which has failed to keep up with rising stars such as Google and Facebook.

Not just technology

Steve Grobman, chief technical officer at Intel Security, said the two incidents show &quot;there were clear weaknesses in the architecture&quot; used by Yahoo but that such hacks are not just about technology.

Large organizations holding vast amounts of user data, Grobman said, &quot;need to rely not just on technology but use independent or internal resources to defend against attack scenarios.&quot;

Grobman said Yahoo can recover from the debacle but that &quot;it needs to be transparent and show that it will emerge with the best security.&quot;

Patrick Moorhead, analyst at Moor Insights &amp; Strategy, said it is possible the disclosure will kill the tie-up with Verizon.

&quot;In the end it will be determined by how Yahoo customers react and what Verizon thinks about this,&quot; Moorhead said.

&quot;I don&#39;t think Yahoo is worth nearly as much as it was before these two breaches because they can no longer be trusted. Yahoo can build back trust but it will take investment and focus.&quot;

Yahoo, after a series of reorganizations, decided late last year to sell its main operating business as a way to separate that from its more valuable stake in Chinese internet giant Alibaba.

Yahoo&#39;s plan would place its main operating business within Verizon, which has already acquired another faded internet star, AOL.

The remaining portion would be a holding company with stakes in Alibaba and Yahoo Japan.

Verizon said in a statement late Wednesday that it would await further news of the investigation before making any decision.

&quot;As we&rsquo;ve said all along, we will evaluate the situation as Yahoo continues its investigation,&quot; the statement said.

&quot;We will review the impact of this new development before reaching any final conclusions.&quot;

Verizon had said the prior breach was likely &quot;material,&quot; meaning it could allow the telecom giant to scrap the deal or lower its offer.

Yahoo&#39;s valuation hit $125 billion during the dot-com boom, but it has been losing ground since then despite several efforts to reboot.

In the mid-1990s, Yahoo was among the most popular destinations on the internet, helping many people navigate the emerging web.

It became the top online &quot;portal,&quot; connecting users to news, music and other content. But its fortunes started to fade when Google began to dominate with its powerful search engine.

(AFP)

Yahoo made the discovery while it was investigating another hack. The earlier hack was already the largest of a single company

Yahoo said Wednesday personal data from over a billion users was stolen in a hack dating back to 2013 -- twice as big as another breach disclosed just three months ago. In a huge blow to the struggling internet pioneer, Yahoo said it made the discovery as it was investigating what was already the largest data breach of a single company. "Yahoo believes an unauthorized third party, in August 2013, stole data associated with more than one billion user accounts," it said in a statement. Yahoo said this case "is likely distinct from the incident the company disclosed on September 22, 2016" affecting 500 million users. The news poses a fresh threat to Yahoo's deal to sell its core operating assets to Verizon for $4.8 billion. In November, Yahoo disclosed that as part of its investigation into the prior breach, it had received data files from law enforcement "that a third party claimed was Yahoo user data." Source of hack unclear Using outside forensic experts, Yahoo now confirms that this was indeed user data but added that it "has not been able to identify the intrusion associated with this theft." The statement added that "Yahoo has taken steps to secure user accounts and is working closely with law enforcement." Yahoo's chief security officer Bob Lord said in a blog post that some of the intrusions were done by hackers who accessed accounts without a password by using "forged cookies," or data files which verify a device or user. "We believe an unauthorized third party accessed our proprietary code to learn how to forge cookies," he said, adding that "we have connected some of this activity to the same state-sponsored actor believed to be responsible for the data theft the company disclosed on September 22." Yahoo also said it was requiring affected users to change their passwords, and had invalidated unencrypted security questions and answers. Yahoo said in September it believed the breach of information on 500 million users was "state sponsored" but some analysts have questioned this theory. The stolen user account information in the newly disclosed breach may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, "hashed" passwords and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers, Yahoo said. The hackers did not obtain passwords in clear text, payment card data, or bank account information, it said. The latest breach discovery is a further embarrassment to a company that was one of the biggest names of the internet but which has failed to keep up with rising stars such as Google and Facebook. Not just technology Steve Grobman, chief technical officer at Intel Security, said the two incidents show "there were clear weaknesses in the architecture" used by Yahoo but that such hacks are not just about technology. Large organizations holding vast amounts of user data, Grobman said, "need to rely not just on technology but use independent or internal resources to defend against attack scenarios." Grobman said Yahoo can recover from the debacle but that "it needs to be transparent and show that it will emerge with the best security." Patrick Moorhead, analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, said it is possible the disclosure will kill the tie-up with Verizon. "In the end it will be determined by how Yahoo customers react and what Verizon thinks about this," Moorhead said. "I don't think Yahoo is worth nearly as much as it was before these two breaches because they can no longer be trusted. Yahoo can build back trust but it will take investment and focus." Yahoo, after a series of reorganizations, decided late last year to sell its main operating business as a way to separate that from its more valuable stake in Chinese internet giant Alibaba. Yahoo's plan would place its main operating business within Verizon, which has already acquired another faded internet star, AOL. The remaining portion would be a holding company with stakes in Alibaba and Yahoo Japan. Verizon said in a statement late Wednesday that it would await further news of the investigation before making any decision. "As we’ve said all along, we will evaluate the situation as Yahoo continues its investigation," the statement said. "We will review the impact of this new development before reaching any final conclusions." Verizon had said the prior breach was likely "material," meaning it could allow the telecom giant to scrap the deal or lower its offer. Yahoo's valuation hit $125 billion during the dot-com boom, but it has been losing ground since then despite several efforts to reboot. In the mid-1990s, Yahoo was among the most popular destinations on the internet, helping many people navigate the emerging web. It became the top online "portal," connecting users to news, music and other content. But its fortunes started to fade when Google began to dominate with its powerful search engine. (AFP)

Yahoo says personal data of 1 bn users stolen in 2013 hack

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