NOT AGAIN

Facebook Suspends Another Data Firm Amid Surveillance Fears

A Boston-based company with a Kremlin-linked Russian organization among its clients is now under scrutiny.

A few months removed from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook has temporarily suspended another data-analytics firm after reports emerged about the company’s ties to a Kremlin-friendly Russian organization. The social media giant has said it is investigating whether the Boston-based firm, Crimson Hexagon, violated any data-sharing policies or used any data inappropriately. A report by The Wall Street Journal earlier this week raised concerns about possible surveillance by the company, which reportedly has clients that include U.S. governmental agencies and a Russian organization affiliated with the Kremlin. Facebook has said there is no indication so far that the company improperly used any data, but the probe is ongoing. “We don't allow developers to build surveillance tools using information from Facebook or Instagram,” a spokesman for the social media giant said. “We take these allegations seriously, and we have suspended these apps while we investigate.”