Facebook offers FTC greater oversight of data collection policies to end federal probe

Facebook CEO and Founder Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook is willing to face increased government oversight of its activities relating to data collection to end the privacy-related federal probe sooner, a report into negotiations between the social network and the Federal Trade Commission alleges, along with paying a billion-dollar fine.

The Federal Trade Commission has been probing Facebook since 2018 over allegations surfacing from the Cambridge Analytica affair, where user data was abused by the analytics firm in unauthorized ways. Facebook is also still in talks with the FTC to end the probe, and aside from most likely paying a record-setting fine for privacy violations, it is seemingly wanting to offer more to the regulator to end the probe as soon as possible.

An anonymous source of the Wall Street Journal familiar with the private conversations claims concessions that would allow the government to monitor Facebook's decisions pertaining to user data and collection. The tech giant would have to perform a more rigorous privacy review of any new products and services before they are launched, including documenting decisions and any anticipated privacy issues.

The logging would enable the FTC to determine if Facebook is properly considering the effects of data collection policies on its users, it is believed. The monitoring would also involve Facebook policing third-party app developers for rule compliance.

Facebook executives including Mark Zuckerberg would be required to assess privacy safeguards and sign them off on a quarterly basis, with reports distributed to a committee of independent members of Facebook's board, selected to oversee the proper handling of user data. More rigorous checks could also be made by an FTC-approved and independent third-party watchdog.

The increased oversight would be on top of the fine, which Facebook's financial results reveal it anticipates to be in the region of $5 billion. While this can still change, the company has already set aside $3 billion to go towards its expenses.

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4 Comments

ArloTimetraveler

said about 4 years ago

No, Facebook must give the FTC greater oversight of data collection policies, and the federal probe must continue. Facebook should pay 5 billion. Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg are not to be trusted! Elections come and go. How do the Americans know if the FTC will stay on top of Facebook and Zuckerberg or how I foundly describe the 2 groups as ICK.

dysamoria

said about 4 years ago

So they want to stop the government from finding more (worse?) issues and are trying to bribe them to stop looking? That’s how it reads to me.

chasm

said about 4 years ago

Possibly that’s their motivation, but I think it more likely that they want the probe to end as quickly as possible primarily because the bad publicity of their privacy abuses is really hurting them financially. I think they want to pay the fine, accept the government oversight, and be done with the probe so they can again tell customers that THIS time they are REALLY going to add reasonable amounts of privacy protection into their system.

Under the present administration, however, I doubt there will be much oversight — and I think FB understands that. If this probe were to continue until a future administration takes power, the consequences could be worse, so I think they’ve made the business decision to cooperate now and lobby/bribe for lax supervision.