The Washington, D.C., attorney general will sue Facebook over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, reports CNBC, which added that “D.C. prosecutors said in the lawsuit that Facebook misled users in violation of the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act by allowing them to download an app produced by Cambridge Analytica which then improperly collected private information from the users without making them aware.

“”We’re reviewing the complaint and look forward to continuing our discussions with attorneys general in DC and elsewhere,” said a Facebook spokesperson in a statement to CNBC.

“The district attorney said the maximum penalty under the act is $5,000 “per violation.” It was not immediately clear what may constitute a single violation according to the law.

“Prosecutors said 852 D.C. users downloaded the misleading application provided by Cambridge Analytica but that a much larger portion of D.C. residents, approximately 340,000 people, had their data collected because they were friends of those initial users through Facebook. This could mean Facebook faces a fine of up to $1.7 billion if all 340,000 instances are considered “violations” under the statute.”

More here.