UK-based data analytics and political consulting firm Cambridge Ananlytica, that shutdown abruptly earlier this week, may re-emerge under another name but same profile. According to newspaper reports from UK and US an entity – Emerdata – was set up last year with the same registered address, the same directors and an unexplained purpose. This could mean business as usual for Cambridge Analytica under a different name.
Cambridge Analytica and its parent company SCL Elections, shut down a few weeks after allegations that some of its executives had offered to help smear political opponents, in countries including US, UK and India, and paid for the data of up to 87 million Facebook users without their full consent.
The owners of the company — which has no profits or losses according to accounts filed at Companies House — include Robert Mercer, the hedge fund billionaire. Mercer’s daughters, Jennifer and Rebekah, were both appointed directors of Emerdata in March.
The Indian government has said it will continue with its enquiry into the Cambridge Analytica data leak issue, irrespective of the British firm announcing closure of business. The Indian government had served notices to both Facebook and Cambridge Analytica on data breach issue. The last date for the two companies to respond is May 10. The SCL Group is also under investigation by UK’s Information Commissioner and Electoral Commission.