Experts Propose Ways To Punish Facebook Beyond Monetary Fines

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is expected to soon slap Facebook with a $3 to 5 billion fine for the company’s repeated privacy violations. However, many experts and lawmakers have argued that this is not enough to teach the tech giant a lesson. That’s why the digital advocacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) laid out some other potential punishments for Facebook this week.

According to the nonprofit, the FTC should press Facebook to stop third-party tracking, and to stop merging its data with WhatsApp and Instagram. The group also strongly recommended that Facebook stop targeting ads with info gleaned from data brokers.

Data brokers are some of the shadiest actors in the digital marketplace,” the EFF’s Bennett Cyphers wrote. “They make money by buying and selling detailed information about billions of people. And most of the people they profile don’t know they exist.”

Cyphers goes on to argue that the FTC should order Facebook to stop allowing these data brokers to share info with advertisers. “This will make Facebook a safer, less creepy place for users, and it will put a serious dent in the dirty business of buying and selling private information,” he said.

Of course, Facebook will never take such drastic action unless it’s compelled to do so by a larger force. So here’s hoping the government goes above and beyond its proposed fine to further reign in the world’s largest social network.




Recommended Resources

bitdefender Bitdefender 2019 solutions stop attacks before they even begin. Try 90 days free of Bitdefender Total Security 2019

PIAPrivate Internet Access is an award-winning, cost-effective VPN solution. The use of an anonymous and trusted VPN is essential to your online privacy, security and identity protection.

System Mechanic 14 – Make your computer run like new. Winner of 200+ Editor’s Choice awards!

Facebook Slammed For Refusing To Remove Fake Videos Previous post Facebook Slammed For Refusing To Remove Fake Videos Senator Slams Facebook’s “Private” Encrypted Messaging Next post Senator Slams Facebook’s “Private” Encrypted Messaging