This past July, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settled for $5 billion with Facebook over its numerous and repeated privacy violations. That’s by far the biggest fine ever levied against a tech company, though many experts at the time said it still didn’t go far enough to punish the company for its carelessness with user…

Over the past several years, Facebook has introduced initiatives to better educate users about online privacy. This includes routine privacy check-ups, simpler settings and more. (Of course, the company only took these steps because of its own privacy foibles, but still.) However, according to the results of a new study from the Pew Research Center,…

One of the smartest decisions Facebook ever made was to purchase Instagram for $1 billion in 2012. The social media giant recognized then that photos were going to be the future of its business. And that’s why the company makes it so simple for users to upload pics: Facebook can analyze them to gather a…

This week, the U.S. Justice Department published an open letter to Facebook asking the social media giant to cancel its plans to fully encrypt its messaging services. Essentially, the government wants a legal backdoor to eavesdrop on any online communication it wants. According to the letter, signed by Attorney General William Barr and several other…

When it comes to user privacy, Facebook’s reputation isn’t exactly sterling. That’s why the company has taken steps to protect people’s data — particularly through encryption. However, the fight over Facebook’s plan to encrypt its messaging escalated late last week, with FBI Director Christopher Wray saying the tech could be used to shelter child pornographers.…

Facebook is currently facing regulation efforts around the globe after years of privacy and data mishaps — including pressure from lawmakers the U.S. However, one of the most severe blows came this week when the European Union’s highest court ruled that it can force the company to remove “hateful content” anywhere in the world. European…

Facebook has been inundated with privacy and data controversies over the past several years. That’s why so many digital privacy advocates expressed skepticism when the company announced its plans to create home hardware with built-in cameras and microphones (not to mention its rumored interest in mind-reaching technology). Now, according to leaked audio from an internal…

When Facebook first announced that it would launch its own dating app, many privacy experts raised concerns. After all, the company already knows everything about us — does it need to pry into our love lives, too? Now the product has actually hit the market, and the reactions have been mixed — to say the…

Facebook gets a lot of things wrong when it comes to user privacy, but to the company’s credit, it has always fought to protect our data from law enforcement. However, a new treaty between the U.S. and UK could require Facebook and WhatsApp to share users’ encrypted messages with British police.  UK lawmakers have previously…

If you’re even a casual user of Facebook, you’ve no doubt seen fake news crop up in your News Feed — especially around political topics. Because of its sheer size and structure, the platform is too often abused by bad actors. That’s why it was disappointing, but not necessarily surprising, when a new study from…