US State Dept has deal with under-fire UK data-miner

The US State Department has a $500,000 contract with the British analysis firm facing allegations it misused Facebook user data and offered to dig dirt on its international clients' election opponents, reports AFP from Washington.

A State Department official told AFP on Monday the agency's Global Engagement Center has a contract with Strategic Communications Laboratories (SCL) Group, the parent company of under-fire Cambridge Analytica.

The agency has no business with CA, but SCL is closely tied to its offshoot and Facebook announced last week that it was suspending both,

under the title "SCL/ Cambridge Analytica," from its platform.

A public record of the contract on a US government site, spotted by the Defense One news website, lists its value as $496,232 and states it was awarded to the "SCL Group Ltd of London" on February 17, 2017.

The State Department official said the contract was to provide "research and analytical support in connection with our mission to counter terrorist propaganda and disinformation overseas.

 

US State Dept has deal with under-fire UK data-miner

The US State Department has a $500,000 contract with the British analysis firm facing allegations it misused Facebook user data and offered to dig dirt on its international clients election opponents, reports AFP from Washington. A State Department official told AFP on Monday the agencys Global Engagement Center has a contract with Strategic Communications Laboratories (SCL) Group, the parent company of under-fire Cambridge Analytica. The agency has no business with CA, but SCL is closely tied to its offshoot and Facebook announced last week that it was suspending both, under the title SCL/ Cambridge Analytica, from its platform. A public record of the contract on a US government site, spotted by the Defense One news website, lists its value as $496,232 and states it was awarded to the SCL Group Ltd of London on February 17, 2017. The State Department official said the contract was to provide research and analytical support in connection with our mission to counter terrorist propaganda and disinformation overseas.