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Canada launches probe into Facebook after allegations of massive data breach

Haider Ali 11:39 AM | 21 Mar, 2018
Canada launches probe into Facebook after allegations of massive data breach
OTTAWA -  Canada's privacy watchdog has started a probe into Facebook after the surfacing of allegations that private information belonging to a staggering 50 million Americans was fetched by a company campaigning for Donald Trump, before the 2016 presidential elections.

'We have received a complaint against Facebook in relation to allegations involving Cambridge Analytica and have therefore opened a formal investigation,' Canada's Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien confirmed in a statement.

He explained that the U.K.'s own privacy watchdog was conducting a similar investigation and the two agencies would remain in touch.

"We will remain in contact with the U.K. office and will work with other data protection authorities as appropriate. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that the privacy rights of Canadian Facebook users are protected," he said.

Canada's Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien

The official continued that the first step would be to confirm with the company whether the personal information of Facebook users in Canada was affected or not.

Therrien launched his investigation a day after New Democratic Party (NDP) MPs Charlie Angus, Matthew Dubé and Brian Masse forwarded a letter to him to look into whether the private data of Canadians using social media was safe.

The investigation, that can open a new Pandora box,  will look at whether Facebook has complied with Canada's federal private sector privacy law named 'Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)'.

Earlier this week, leading publications including The New York Times reported that Trump's 2016 campaign hired Cambridge Analytica which harvested private information from the Facebook profiles of more than 50 million users to devise digital media strategy for the then tycoon, aspiring for Oval office.

Responding to the hair-rising reports, Facebook said that, while none of the information leakage was a result of a data breach, it did appear to involve the passing of personal information from Cambridge Analytica to a third party.

"Several days ago, we received reports that, contrary to the certifications we were given, not all data was deleted. We are moving aggressively to determine the accuracy of these claims. If true, this is another unacceptable violation of trust and the commitments they made," said the social media company's vice-president and deputy general counsel Paul Grewal.

Meanwhile, the social networking giant has blocked the account of Data analyst and whistle blower Christopher Wylie after his revelations about the data breach.

Wylie is the co-founder of the political data analytics, which worked on Facebook ads for Donald Trump during the 2016 election.

The firm was initially funded by conservative billionaire Robert Mercer and led by former Trump advisor Steve Bannon.

EU To Investigate Data Leak

Besides Canada and UK, the head of the European Union’s parliament has said that the bloc will investigate Facebook over the use of its data by a Trump-affiliated data-mining firm.

Antonio Tajani in a series of Tweets elaborated that the date leak would be investigated, inviting the Facebook's founder to the parliament for an explanation.

https://twitter.com/EP_President/status/975683240777453569

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https://twitter.com/EP_President/status/976119350112538629

API Response: Twitter / ?

Nothing to see here

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Haider Ali

The writer is a civil servant.

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Today's currency exchange rates in Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal rates on May 29, 2023

KARACHI - Following are the foreign currency exchange rates for US Dollar, Saudi Riyal, UK Pound Sterling, U.A.E. Dirham, European Euro, and other foreign currencies in Pakistan open market on May 29, 2023 (Monday).

Source: Forex Association of Pakistan. (last update 09:00 AM)

Currency Symbol Buying Selling
US Dollar ‎USD 307.9 311.15
Euro EUR 330 333
UK Pound Sterling GBP 381 384.5
U.A.E Dirham AED 84.6 85.4
Saudi Riyal SAR 82.6 83.4
Australian Dollar AUD 201 203
Bahrain Dinar BHD 762.21 770.21
Canadian Dollar CAD 225.5 227.5
China Yuan CNY 40.6 41
Danish Krone DKK 41.39 41.78
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 36.6 36.95
Indian Rupee INR 3.47 3.58
Japanese Yen JPY 2.15 2.20
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD 932.2 941.2
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 62.42 63.02
New Zealand Dollar NZD 176.98 178.98
Norwegians Krone NOK 26.14 26.44
Omani Riyal OMR 744.58 752.57
Qatari Riyal ‎QAR 78.73 79.43
Singapore Dollar SGD 215 217
Swedish Korona SEK 26.73 27.03
Swiss Franc CHF 316.34 318.84
Thai Bhat THB 8.28 8.43

Today's gold rates in Pakistan – May 29 2023

KARACHI - The price of a single tola of 24-karat gold in Pakistan is Rs 235,800 on Monday. The price of 10 grams of 24k gold was recorded at Rs202,160.   

Likewise, 10 grams of 22k gold were being traded for Rs163,624 while a single tola of 22-karat gold was being sold at Rs 190,880.

Note: The gold rate in Pakistan is fluctuating according to the international market so the price is never been fixed. The below rates are provided by local gold markets and Sarafa Markets of different cities.

City Gold Silver
Lahore PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Karachi PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Islamabad PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Peshawar PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Quetta PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Sialkot PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Attock PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Gujranwala PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Jehlum PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Multan PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Bahawalpur PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Gujrat PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Nawabshah PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Chakwal PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Hyderabad PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Nowshehra PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Sargodha PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Faisalabad PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505
Mirpur PKR 235,800 PKR 2,505

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