Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
Privacy has been an ongoing concern with social media platforms as they continue to grow and become more of a fixture in everyday life. With how accessible they are to anyone with an internet connection, there have been particular concerns with how these platforms are handling the data of children that sign up for accounts. Now, the FTC has proposed to block Facebook from monetizing children’s data after stating the company violated a 2020 privacy order.
The FTC announced its proposal in a press release today. In the release, the government body raises concerns about Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta, and its monetization of kid’s data. “Facebook has repeatedly violated its privacy promises,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The company’s recklessness has put young users at risk, and Facebook needs to answer for its failures.” The FTC then calls to block Meta from making money from this data.
The FTC goes on to explain that this is the third time it’s moved to take action against Facebook/Meta over privacy concerns, with the other two taking place in 2011 and 2019. This news also comes just a month after a UK regulator fined TikTok $15.9 million for the misuse of children’s data.
We’ll have to wait and see if FTC is successful in its attempt to bar Facebook from monetizing kids’ data on the platform. Regardless, this situation won’t do anything to quell existing concerns around privacy on social media, especially as it pertains to children. We’ll continue to follow the biggest stories in social media.