US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) officials began examining internal documents leaked by a former Facebook employee suggesting Facebook products could harm users. The FTC is looking at the research to see if the company is in breach of privacy agreements made in 2019, when Facebook paid a record $ 5 billion fine, one source said.
Recall that published internal Facebook research has shown that the company's algorithms incite discord among users of the social network, and the Instagram application harms the psyche of a significant percentage of users, especially adolescents. The social network claims that the research results published by the former employee have been misinterpreted and the company has invested heavily in the safety and well-being of its customers. In the end, lawmakers and human rights activists asked the FTC to investigate Facebook's behavior and determine whether the company practices deception and misleading users in its operations.
It is noted that Facebook is trying to hide the results of internal research from the public and government agencies, including the FTC. A number of lawmakers have argued that Facebook has shied away from answering questions about internal research into the effects of its products on children. On October 8, three senators sent a letter to the FTC urging the agency to use its mandate to ensure that "the activities of all powerful technology platforms are consistent with their public statements and policies regarding the privacy of children and adolescents . "
According to people familiar with the matter, the FTC is collaborating with the team of Frances Haugen as part of the investigation. One of the main questions that FTC officials are probably looking into is whether Facebook has a legal obligation to warn users about the risks identified by internal research. If such a commitment is proven, Facebook could be accused of conducting deceptive trading practices.
Last December, the FTC launched a study of social media platforms in which it asked Facebook and other leading internet companies about how they are tailoring their services for children. One of the questions required the company to disclose all the strategies and mechanisms for identifying use patterns and their monetization associated with children and adolescents, as well as ways to increase the involvement of young users.
Recall that in 2019, the FTC demanded that Facebook tighten measures to protect privacy and data security, after it became known that the information of millions of users of the social network was improperly transferred to Cambridge Analytica, a political analyst company. As part of the agreement between Facebook and the FTC, the social network and its senior officials were exempted from liability for any other consumer violations.
The FTC is now headed by Lina Khan, who is known for her commitment to tight regulation of large technology companies. It is assumed that because of her approach, Facebook will not be able to escape punishment if evidence of illegal activities of the social network is revealed.
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