Facebook agrees to pay fine over Cambridge Analytica scandal

Company withdraws appeal against 500,000 penalty imposed by UK data watchdog

Facebook has agreed to pay a 500,000 fine, the highest possible, to the Information Commissioner's Office over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, ending more than a year of litigation between the regulator and social network.

The ICO announced its intention to fine Facebook in July 2018. Unusually, the office went public with its intention before giving Facebook a chance to respond, and ultimately issued the official penalty notice three months later, in October. Facebook appealed against the fine, and in June 2019 the tribunal issued an interim decision "holding that procedural fairness and allegations of bias on the part of the ICO should be considered as part of the appeal, and that the ICO should be required to disclose materials relating to its decision-making process".