As will be evidinced by the response to this comment.
That said, I do think Facebook PR deliberately played up the CA story as a way of masking the fact that any Facebook app at the time had access to this data, and many thousands were certainly siphoning it off in the same way.
It was very successful.
Drawing attention to the wider issues around use of personal data was a public service no matter what the motivation (and the coverage has been meagre given the importance of the issue).
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2018/mar/22/meghan-mcc...
> The Obama campaign created a Facebook app for supporters to donate, learn of voting requirements, and find nearby houses to canvass. The app asked users’ permission to scan their photos, friends lists, and news feeds. Most users complied.
> The people signing up knew the data they were handing over would be used to support a political campaign. Their friends, however, did not.
> The people who downloaded the app used by Cambridge Analytica did not know their data would be used to aid any political campaigns. The app was billed as a personality quiz that would be used by Cambridge University researchers.
The Obama campaign's approach (consent on behalf of your friends) is now no longer possible nor permitted by Facebook's API and developer terms; Cambridge Analytica's approach was a violation at the time.