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Facebook's massive data breach is 'opening a can of worms' (FB)

The Facebook breach is scaring investors. And the broader concern is less about content than it is about one great threat to the industry.
  • A political research firm with ties to President Trump reportedly accessed 50 million Facebook user accounts without authorization.
  • Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter said that the real concern for investors is that these breaches may prompt regulation that could hurt Facebook's earnings.
  • News of the breach comes as both Facebook and Snapchat are having broader issues with questionable content.

Facebook shares are down more than 6% Monday on news of a massive data breach. The stock closed Friday at $185 a share and is down to a low of $173 Monday.

News broke over the weekend that a political research company, Cambridge Analytica with ties to President Trump, had accessed 50 million Facebook user accounts without authorization.

"The concern is that you're opening a can of worms," Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter told Business Insider. "Every time I see headlines like this," he added, he gets "concerned."

Snap was recently forced to pull an advertisement on its platform asking users

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