Cambridge Analytica acting CEO steps down

The acting CEO of Cambridge Analytica, the data firm at the center of controversy over Facebook’s handling of user data, has stepped down from the role.

The data firm’s board of directors announced Wednesday that Alexander Tayler will step down from the post just weeks after taking the position.

Tayler will resume his former position as chief data officer “in order to focus on the various technical investigations and inquiries,” the board said in a statement.

Tayler took over after a London media outlet published video that showed the company’s permanent CEO, Alexander Nix, discussing the use of bribes and prostitutes to sway political elections.

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Nix was suspended on March 20 after the videos were made public. The company said it would conduct a full investigation of its own into his actions.

Cambridge Analytica has been under intense scrutiny after it was revealed that the firm had obtained data from as many as 87 million Facebook users without their consent. 

The firm, which did work for the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential race, has denied wrongdoing in the case.

A former Cambridge Analytica employee and self-described whistleblower said Sunday he plans to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg attended congressional hearings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and Wednesday to address his company’s role in the data breach.