The regulator said Facebook also continued to give third-party apps access to private information after promising to cut off access if users failed to use the apps in the previous 90 days…reports Asian Lite News
The top US data privacy regulator on Wednesday accused Facebook-owner Meta of violating its commitments on data privacy and threatened to sanction it heavily if it didn’t comply.
The Washington-based Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said an independent investigation has found “several gaps and weaknesses in Facebook’s privacy program” that posed “substantial risks to the public.”
The FTC’s case began in 2018 after it was revealed that the personal data of tens of millions of Facebook users improperly wound up in the hands of Cambridge Analytica, a data firm that worked on former president Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.
In a 2019 settlement, Facebook agreed to pay a $5 billion penalty over the privacy violations and to allow regular audits of its privacy practices.
The FTC on Wednesday said Meta misled parents on parental controls, with under-13-year-olds found to still be allowed to engage in chats with contacts not vetted by parents.
The regulator said Facebook also continued to give third-party apps access to private information after promising to cut off access if users failed to use the apps in the previous 90 days.
As a result, the FTC is seeking to force Meta to stop launching new products until the independent auditors find that the company’s privacy policies are compliant.
The FTC is also threatening to ban Meta from making money off of children’s data.
Facebook spokesman Andy Stone called the FTC’s move a “political stunt,” and said it was overstepping its authority.
“Despite three years of continual engagement with the FTC around our agreement, they provided no opportunity to discuss this new, totally unprecedented theory,” Stone said.
FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya, who will have a decisive vote on whether to move forward on the threat, also questioned his agency’s authority to curb the monetization of kids’ data.
He greenlit Wednesday’s warning but added that he looked forward to hearing additional arguments and will consider them “with an open mind.”
The FTC has also proposed a blanket ban on Meta from monetising data belonging to anyone under age 18, saying that the social network violated its 2020 privacy order.
As part of the proposed changes, Meta, which changed its name from Facebook in October 2021, would be prohibited from profiting from data it collects, including through its virtual reality products, from users under the age of 18.
It would also be subject to other expanded limitations, including in its use of facial recognition technology, and required to provide additional protections for users.
“Facebook has repeatedly violated its privacy promises. The company’s recklessness has put young users at risk, and Facebook needs to answer for its failures,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection late on Wednesday.
This is the third time the FTC has taken action against Facebook for allegedly failing to protect users’ privacy.
The Commission first filed a complaint against Facebook in 2011, and secured an order in 2012 barring the company from misrepresenting its privacy practices.