Facebook breached Canada’s privacy laws, watchdogs’ report finds

Social media giant Facebook broke a number of privacy laws and failed to take responsibility for protecting the personal information of Canadians, according to two privacy watchdogs’ investigation of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Federal Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien and his B.C. counterpart, Michael McEvoy, joined forces last spring to investigate the roles of Facebook and the Canadian company AggregateIQ in the scandal involving the British firm.

Cambridge Analytica is accused of harvesting data of more than 50 million Facebook users worldwide to create social media strategies to support U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign.

Therriern and McEvoy said while Facebook has publicly acknowledged a “major breach of trust,” the company disputes their investigation.

The company also refuses to implement recommendations to address deficiencies, said the watchdogs.

Therrien and McEvoy will unveil their report at 11 a.m. ET in Ottawa. CBCNews.ca will carry it live online.