Mexico data protection body to investigate possible links to Cambridge Analytica

The app cut ties after the British company was accused of improperly accessing data

MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s data protection body said on Monday it had opened an investigation into whether companies possibly linked to political consultancy Cambridge Analytica broke the country’s data protection laws.



INAI, the transparency, and data protection regulator, said it was looking at Mexican companies that worked with cellphone app Pig.gi, which gives users free top-ups in exchange for receiving ads and completing surveys.

The app cut ties with Cambridge Analytica in Mexico after the British company was accused by a whistleblower of improperly accessing data to target US and British voters in recent elections.

Pig.gi, which has 1 million downloads in Mexico and Colombia combined, said it had shared results of two election polls of Mexican users with the consultancy and other partners.



Cambridge Analytica has denied Facebook data was used to help to build profiles of American voters and build support for Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential election.