Facebook will therefore have to pay. The record fine of five billion dollars imposed last summer by the American consumer protection agency (FTC) on the company for failing to protect the personal data of its users, was validated Thursday by a judge . The decision was described on Friday as "historic" by the president of the agency, Joe Simons.
Today I issued a statement about the Court's decision to approve the Facebook settlement: https://t.co/dN4ievxXSt / 1 https://t.co/wuZHFSTZ3S pic.twitter.com/nZF3z1MqWG
- Joe Simons (@JoeSimonsFTC) April 24, 2020Establishment of an independent committee
The FTC accused the most powerful social network in the world of "cheating" its users on their ability to control their personal information. In addition to the fine, she had forced the Silicon Valley company to set up an independent privacy committee. The social network also had to commit to adding features allowing users to better control their privacy at all levels of the platform, and to provide regular reports on the risks, problems and solutions implemented to ensure confidentiality of information.
The Cambridge Analytica case
It was after the outbreak in March 2018 of the scandal of data leaks to the British firm Cambridge Analytica, which worked for the Donald Trump campaign in 2016 and hijacked the personal data of tens of millions of users around the world, that the FTC had opened an investigation. Some privacy advocates had opposed the deal between the agency and Facebook, saying it did not sufficiently punish the group. The social network for its part affirmed that the agreement goes beyond the legislation and that it should serve "basis for any regulation on the private life", in the United States as elsewhere.
High-Tech
Mark Zuckerberg ready to "fight" to avoid dismantling Facebook
High-Tech
Cambridge Analytica: US survey finds Facebook users have been deceived
- United States
- Conviction
- Social media
- Private life
- High-Tech