Facebook said Friday it was suspending an analytics firm while it investigates whether that firm’s government contracts violate the social-media giant’s policies on how its public data is collected and shared.
As The Wall Street Journal reports, Crimson Hexagon, based in Boston, has in recent years had contracts to analyze public Facebook data for clients—including a Russian nonprofit with ties to the Kremlin and multiple U.S. government agencies, according to people familiar with the matter and federal procurement data.
Crimson Hexagon says it has the largest repository of public social media posts, totaling more than one trillion from sites that also include Twitter and Instagram. LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication uses the firm’s data and services in its Social Media Analysis & Creation Lab as part of communications research. SMAC Lab Director Lance Porter says the suspension could affect some ongoing projects at the university.
In response to questions from The Wall Street Journal this week about its oversight of Crimson Hexagon’s government contracts and its storing of user data, Facebook said Friday it was not aware of some of the contracts. On Friday, it said it was suspending Crimson Hexagon’s apps from Facebook and its Instagram unit, and launching a broad inquiry into how Crimson Hexagon collects, shares and stores user data.
A spokesman said Facebook plans to meet with Crimson Hexagon’s team within the next several days to look into the matter.
