Facebook Cambridge Analytica Scandal

Question 1

What was the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica scandal about?

Answer 1

The misuse of data from over 87 million Facebook users by Cambridge Analytica to influence political outcomes without user consent.

Question 2

Which key principle of EBMgt was violated in the Facebook case?

Answer 2

Ethical judgment — Facebook prioritized growth and engagement over user data protection and informed consent.

Question 3

What type of stakeholder evidence did Facebook ignore?

Answer 3

User concerns about privacy, whistleblower warnings, and internal reports about third-party data misuse.

Question 4

What organizational evidence existed before the scandal broke publicly?

Answer 4

Internal audits, employee concerns, and known loopholes in developer access to personal data.

Question 5

How did scientific evidence play a role in the scandal?

Answer 5

Cambridge Analytica used behavioral science and psychographic profiling to target users without consent.

Question 6

What were the ethical issues raised in this case?

Answer 6

Lack of informed consent, manipulation of democratic processes, and failure to act on known risks.

Question 7

What external pressures forced Facebook to respond?

Answer 7

Public backlash, government investigations (e.g., UK Parliament, US Congress), and global media scrutiny.

Question 8

What lessons does this case offer for evidence-based management?

Answer 8

Stakeholder and organizational evidence must be acted upon early; ethics and accountability must guide tech innovation.

Question 9

How to cite

Answer 9

Federal Trade Commission, 2019