US: FTC investigating whether Facebook violated consent decree

Facebook is drawing scrutiny from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in its capacity to regulate consumer privacy, members of Congress over how the personal data of 50 million users was obtained by a data analytics firm that helped elect President Donald Trump.

The FTC is probing whether Facebook violated terms of a 2011 consent decree over its handing of user data that was transferred to Cambridge Analytica without the users’ knowledge, according to a person familiar with the matter. The Commission will be sending a letter to the company, according to second person with knowledge of the matter.

Facebook officials have also tentatively agreed to brief members of the House Judiciary Committee, said a congressional official familiar with the talks. Logistics for the meeting are still being worked out, including who from the company will be involved in the briefing, says the official. The Senate Judiciary Committee also is in the process of scheduling a briefing from Facebook, said George Hartmann, spokesman for Chairman Chuck Grassley.

The FTC is the lead US agency for enforcing companies’ privacy policies and could fine the company millions of dollars if it finds Facebook violated a 2011 consent decree.

Full Content: Financial Times

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