FTC & Facebook negotiating record-breaking billion-dollar privacy violation fine
Facebook and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission are in talks over a privacy violations fine that could cost the former billions of dollars.
The two sides are still going back and forth over the exact amount, Washington Post sources said. Facebook confirmed the existence of negotiations, but declined to say anything more. It could be hoping to reduce what it pays in exchange for business changes and tougher scrutiny.
Both sides have an interest in a settlement, since the alternative could be a protracted court battle. At the same time the fine could easily become the biggest the FTC has ever leveled against a tech firm, dealing a meaningful blow to Facebook's bottom line. The current record holder is Google, which paid just $22.5 million in 2012.
The FTC began investigating Facebook in March last year following the emergence of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Analytica and Cambridge University researcher Aleksandr Kogan used a quiz app to collect data on Facebook users and their connected friends, the latter without their consent, enabling Analytica to build voter profiles for some 71 million Americans and a smaller amount of people overseas. The harvesting was discovered in 2015, but only made public by Facebook in March 2018. This drew the scrutiny of governments in both the U.S. and the U.K.
Some clients of Analytica -- now mostly defunct -- included the Presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, and the Institutional Revolutionary Party during Mexico's 2018 general election.
The FTC is concerned that Facebook's past and recent activities constitute violations of a 2011 agreement in which Facebook promised to improve its privacy standards. One of these is likely its abuse of an Apple enterprise certificate for "Facebook Research," an app people were paid to install to monitor usage habits. Apple briefly revoked the certificate.
The two sides are still going back and forth over the exact amount, Washington Post sources said. Facebook confirmed the existence of negotiations, but declined to say anything more. It could be hoping to reduce what it pays in exchange for business changes and tougher scrutiny.
Both sides have an interest in a settlement, since the alternative could be a protracted court battle. At the same time the fine could easily become the biggest the FTC has ever leveled against a tech firm, dealing a meaningful blow to Facebook's bottom line. The current record holder is Google, which paid just $22.5 million in 2012.
The FTC began investigating Facebook in March last year following the emergence of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Analytica and Cambridge University researcher Aleksandr Kogan used a quiz app to collect data on Facebook users and their connected friends, the latter without their consent, enabling Analytica to build voter profiles for some 71 million Americans and a smaller amount of people overseas. The harvesting was discovered in 2015, but only made public by Facebook in March 2018. This drew the scrutiny of governments in both the U.S. and the U.K.
Some clients of Analytica -- now mostly defunct -- included the Presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, and the Institutional Revolutionary Party during Mexico's 2018 general election.
The FTC is concerned that Facebook's past and recent activities constitute violations of a 2011 agreement in which Facebook promised to improve its privacy standards. One of these is likely its abuse of an Apple enterprise certificate for "Facebook Research," an app people were paid to install to monitor usage habits. Apple briefly revoked the certificate.
Comments
Do the crime, pay the fine!!
But accusers and accusees are generally free to negotiate settlements which are agreeable to both parties. That would, if the reporting is correct, seem to be what’s going on here.
This is not unusual, only the person with an idiot for a lawyer pays the full fine and does all the time. Unless the Government is looking to make an example of you.
It is going to pay for the wall.
Consumers who are the ones usually harmed in these cases usually never sees a dime. The money goes to the treasury department.
They either see nothing or get like a $5 gift certificate.
$100 billion fine, minimum!
And break up FB and WhatsApp and Instagram. Don't let FaceBook or Google or Amazon buy anymore businesses. Done.
FB, Google, Twitter are the 'cigarette' companies of the 80's and 90's! Great stocks to own, but oh, that's right, they killed 700,000 Americans a year. Maybe the stocks weren't that great, after all? Hmmmmm...
Start with not allowing him to track our children. Scumbag.
Hit him where the only place he feels it. His wallet. No more lame Zucky apologies.
Break up FB and WhatsApp and Instagram.
Best.
You are either 'for' Democracy or 'against' Democracy like 'The Zuck'/FaceBook!
I think there's a real opportunity for Apple to ride this 'Privacy/Security' train!
Each one of these 'projects' below, could be started by Apple with a team of < 100 employees each! And they tie-in nicely with their pivot from hardware to 'Services.'
Start an Apple YouTube-like app (Beta) with complete privacy for only Apple device owners. Yep, it will be shite to start with, but it will only get better and better. Kind of like the Notes or Podcast Apps have improved over time. Then in two years, once Apple's got it figured out, open it up to other platforms.
-Apple's world renowned Privacy/Security stance being the main selling points!
Start an Apple FaceBook-like app (Beta) with complete privacy for only Apple device owners. Yep, it will be shite to start with, but it will only get better and better. Kind of like the Notes or Podcast Apps have improved over time. Then in two years once Apple's, got it figured out, open it up to other platforms.
-Apple's world renowned Privacy/Security stance being the main selling points!
Start an Apple Twitter-like app (Beta) with complete privacy for only Apple device owners. Yep, it will be shite to start with, but it will only get better and better. Kind of like the Notes or Podcast Apps have improved over time. Then in two years, once Apple's got it figured out, open it up to other platforms.
-Apple's world renowned Privacy/Security stance being the main selling points!
Start an Apple Instagram-like app (Beta) with complete privacy for only Apple device owners. Yep, it will be shite to start with, but it will only get better and better. Kind of like the Notes or Podcast Apps have improved over time. Then in two years, once Apple's got it figured out, open it up to other platforms.
-Apple's world renowned Privacy/Security stance being the main selling points!
Buy DuckDuckGo (Search) with complete privacy for only Apple device owners. Yep, it will be shite to start with, but it will only get better and better. Kind of like the Notes or Podcast Apps have improved over time. Then in two years, once Apple's got it figured out, open it up to other platforms.
-Apple's world renowned Privacy/Security stance being the main selling points!
Start an Apple VPN-like app (Beta) with complete privacy for only Apple device owners. Yep, it will be shite to start with, but it will only get better and better. Kind of like the Notes or Podcast Apps have improved over time. Then in two years, once Apple's got it figured out, open it up to other platforms.
-Apple's world renowned Privacy/Security stance being the main selling points!
Comments?
P.S. Oh, and Apple should tell China to F*ck off (China is lost to be a dystopian society!)
And it only comprises half the population of Asia. Apple should focus on the other half.
P.S.S. In a few years, the only people using FaceBook, Google and Twitter will be the Taliban! Oh yeah, the Russians and our former President "Bone-Spur!"
Make statue law criminalizing the violations and stipulating fines. Make the fines sting. Really sting.
Privacy is seen as a right by some and a commodity by others. And government seeks control over it to their benefit, ultimately, more than ours. In many cases it's sheer illusion, and regardless of definition, becoming rarer almost daily. I don't know that 1984 will be 1984 one day, but I have my concerns.