Facebook has suspended tens of thousands of apps on its social media platform as part of an investigation initiated in March 2018 in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, the company has said on Friday. The suspended applications are associated with some 400 developers, the company has said in a statement. The Company has also added that the move does not indicate that these applications posed a threat to people. "Our App Developer Investigation is by no means finished. But there is meaningful progress to report so far. To date, this investigation has addressed millions of apps. Of those, tens of thousands have been suspended for a variety of reasons while we continue to investigate," the statement read.

The company initiated the investigation following revelations that Cambridge Analytica, a British consultancy, had retrieved the information of an estimated 87 million Facebook users without their permission. The social media giant was fined USD 5 billion in July by the US Federal trade commission in what was reported to be the biggest ever fine imposed on a company for violating consumer's privacy.

What was the scandal about?

Cambridge Analytica scandal came into limelight when an investigative report by the UK's Channel 4 revealed that the firm had accessed personal data of over 50 million Facebook users without taking their permission. It was then alleged that Facebook had prior knowledge about the misdeeds by the company. The company Cambridge Analytica was said to have made personal profiles of users to sway the 2016 US Presidential elections in favour of the Donald Trump campaign. Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg also testified in US Congress over the misuse of data.

READ: Personal Data Of About 87 Million Facebook Users Shared With Cambridge Analytica

Cambridge Analytica and its India links

A massive India angle emerged when the BJP cited news reports from late 2017 that said that Cambridge Analytica would be the Congress party's 'brahmastra' (a mythical weapon) in the 2019 elections. Later it was revealed that political parties in India, including BJP, Congress and JD(U) were in talks with India-based analytics company called OVL, which was said to have links with Cambridge Analytica. Moreover, Cambridge Analytica's website also quoted both the BJP and Congress its clients.

READ: Here's how Cambridge Analytica accessed data of more than half a million Indians through Facebook

Netflix movie on the scandal

The new documentary The Great Hack captures how Facebook’s cavalier handling of user data in the Cambridge Analytica scandal posed a threat to democracy. But it doesn’t prove claims in the movie that the ill-gotten data helped elect Donald Trump. The movie, out on Netflix and some theaters Wednesday, follows former Cambridge Analytica executive Brittany Kaiser around the world, from the Burning Man festival in Nevada to a pool at a hideout in Thailand to a flight from New York to testify in Robert Mueller’s investigation on 2016 election interference. She reveals internal emails, calendar entries and video sales pitches, although the movie doesn’t quite connect the dots on what the documents really say.

Instead, the movie is mostly a recap of what’s already been reported in various news outlets. If you’ve never heard of Cambridge Analytica, or you aren’t steeped in all the details of the scandal that landed Mark Zuckerberg in front of Congress and his company under major federal investigations, “The Great Hack” provides a good overview on the way companies like Facebook collect and use data to influence your thinking. It’s also worth watching for a reminder of the tremendous power and threat of Big Data. The movie’s release coincides with the Federal Trade Commission announcing a record $5 billion fine against Facebook stemming from its investigation into the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The FTC also sued the British firm, which has filed for bankruptcy.

READ: Netflix documentary 'The Great Hack' explores Facebook's role in Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal