PRESSURE THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION TO
SCRUTINIZE DATA COLLECTION METHODS TO SEE IF THEY CONSTITUTE DECEPTIVE PRACTICES UNDER EXISTING LAW
Time and time again, Internet companies have shown zero regard for their actions. Their irresponsible behavior does not stop with enabling Russian bots, or the spread of disinformation, conspiracy theories or hate speech. They have also punted on basic human decency.
In July 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) imposed a $5 billion civil penalty against Facebook, "the largest ever imposed on a company anywhere for violating consumers’ privacy." < this penalty, by the way, started in 2012, when the FTC charged Facebook with eight separate privacy-related violations. "To settle that case, Facebook agreed to an order that, among other things: 1) prohibited Facebook from making misrepresentations about the privacy or security of consumers’ information, 2) prohibited Facebook from misrepresenting the extent to which it shares personal data, and 3) required Facebook to implement a reasonable privacy program. According to the FTC, Facebook flouted that order in multiple ways, and today’s settlement holds them accountable for putting profits over their privacy promises." >
The FTC needs to ramp this up!
What is the Federal trade commission?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent U.S. law enforcement agency charged with protecting consumers and enhancing competition across broad sectors of the economy. The FTC’s primary legal authority comes from Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits unfair or deceptive practices in the marketplace. The FTC also has authority to enforce a variety of sector specific laws, including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Truth in Lending Act, the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act. The Commission has used its authority to address a wide array of practices affecting consumers, including those that emerge with the development of new technologies and business models.
How Does the FTC Protect Consumer Privacy and Promote Data Security?
The FTC uses every tool at its disposal to protect consumers’ privacy and personal information. The FTC’s principal tool is to bring enforcement actions to stop law violations and require companies to take steps to remediate the unlawful behavior. This has included, when appropriate, implementation of comprehensive privacy and security programs, biennial assessments by independent experts, monetary redress to consumers, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, deletion of illegally obtained consumer information, and providing robust transparency and choice mechanisms to consumers. If a company violates an FTC order, the FTC can seek civil monetary penalties for the violations. The FTC can also obtain civil monetary penalties for violations of certain privacy statutes and rules, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the Fair Debt CollectionPractices Act, and the CAN-SPAM Act.
Evidence:
United States. Federal Trade Commission. Lesley Fair. "FTC’s $5 billion Facebook Settlement: Record-Breaking and History-Making." 24 July 2019
United States. Federal Trade Commission. "Privacy & Data Security Update: 2019."