Facebook investigates a social data firm that works with top brands and agencies
Facebook is investigating a social analytics company called Crimson Hexagon because of its potential dealings with a Russian organization and other concerns over how it handled private data.
Crimson Hexagon, based in Boston, provides social data analysis for brands by monitoring platforms including Facebook and Twitter. The brands it has worked with include Adidas, Samsung, GM, Walmart and General Mills, according to its website. It also has worked with agencies like VML and R/GA.
On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that it alerted Facebook to Crimson Hexagon’s business dealings with a Russian nonprofit organizationthe Civil Society Development Foundationwith ties to the Kremlin. The Russia connection is a sensitive one for Facebook, which last year uncovered hundreds of fake accounts that it traced back to Moscow and which were used to influence the 2016 U.S. elections.
