Facebook appeals against UK Cambridge Analytica fine

Facebook has launched an appeal against the £500,000 fine it was given following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The social network says that the penalty handed out by the ICO last month was unfair, as there was "no evidence" that user information was shared inappropriately.

Facebook says that because the watchdog found no evidence that the personal data of UK users was shared without their knowledge, the fine (the maximum value allowed by law) was unjustified.

Around a million Facebook users in the UK are thought to have had their account information unlawfully accessed by agents working for Cambridge Analytica. User information was directly harvested using a free personality quiz on the site, with the public data of their contacts also recorded.

The ICO has noted that Facebook could have faced a much higher fine that £500,000 if the case had taken place under GDPR, which only came into force following the supposed data collection.

Facebook appeal

"Their reasoning challenges some of the basic principles of how people should be allowed to share information online, with implications which go far beyond just Facebook, which is why we have chosen to appeal," a statement from Facebook's lawyer Anna Benckert said.

"For example, under the ICO's theory people should not be allowed to forward an email or message without having agreement from each person on the original thread.

"These are things done by millions of people every day on services across the internet, which is why we believe the ICO's decision raises important questions of principle for everyone online which should be considered by an impartial court based on all the relevant evidence."

The ICO has confirmed it has received Facebook's appeal, which will now be considered by the independent General Regulatory Chamber tribunal. 

If Facebook is unhappy with the outcome of the tribunal, it can take its case to the UK Court of Appeal.

  • Want to ensure your online data stays private? Here's our pick of the best VPN service of 2018
Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.

Latest in Pro
A trough sensor at Overbury farm
“It's wildlife working for you” - how Agri-Tech can help revolutionize British farming as we know it
Epson EcoTank ET-4850 next to a TechRadar badge that reads Big Savings
I found the best printer deal you won't see in the Amazon Spring Sale and it's got a massive $150 saving
NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition
Nvidia's most expensive Blackwell card gets massive price cut but it is not the RTX 5090
Microsoft Copiot Studio deep reasoning and agent flows
Microsoft reveals OpenAI-powered Copilot AI agents to bosot your work research and data analysis
Group of people meeting
Inflexible work policies are pushing tech workers to quit
Data leak
Top home hardware firm data leak could see millions of customers affected
Latest in News
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin Rennovations
Disney’s giving a classic Buzz Lightyear ride a tech overhaul – here's everything you need to know
Hisense U8 series TV on wall in living room
Hisense announces 2025 mini-LED TV lineup, with screen sizes up to 100 inches – and a surprising smart TV switch
Nintendo Music teaser art
Nintendo Music expands its library with songs from Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Tetris
Opera AI Tabs
Opera's new AI feature brings order to your browser tab chaos
An image of Pro-Ject's Flatten it closed and opened
Pro-Ject’s new vinyl flattener will fix any warped LPs you inadvertently buy on Record Store Day
The iPhone 16 Pro on a grey background
iPhone 17 Pro tipped to get 8K video recording – but I want these 3 video features instead