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Groups urge FTC to break up Facebook over Cambridge Analytica scandal
thehill.com ^ | 01/24/19 12:07 PM EST | By Harper Neidig

Posted on 01/24/2019 12:43:50 PM PST by Red Badger

Advocacy groups on Thursday urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to order a breakup of Facebook after the agency concludes its investigation into the company’s handling of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The groups, led by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, wrote in a letter to FTC Chairman Joseph Simons that modest enforcement actions would not be adequate to curb Facebook’s privacy practices.

“Given that Facebook’s violations are so numerous in scale, severe in nature, impactful for such a large portion of the American public and central to the company’s business model, and given the company’s massive size and influence over American consumers, penalties and remedies that go far beyond the Commission’s recent actions are called for,” the groups wrote.

They urged the FTC to require Facebook to divest from subsidiaries like WhatsApp and Instagram and to impose a fine of at least $2 billion on the social media giant. The agency is probing whether Facebook violated a consent agreement the two sides reached in 2011 that required the company not to misrepresent its privacy practices.

Among those signing onto the letter were the Open Markets Institute, the civil rights group Color of Change and Common Sense Media.

The FTC, which has been operating in a limited capacity due to the partial government shutdown, did not respond to a request for comment. A spokeswoman for Facebook declined to comment.

The agency is reportedly exploring a record-setting fine for Facebook as a result of the investigation it announced in March, The Washington Post reported earlier this month.

There’s been little indication that the agency would consider breaking up Facebook — a remedy used primarily in antitrust cases — over a privacy matter.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; US: California
KEYWORDS: evil; facebook; fb
Won't happen.

They are untouchable....................

1 posted on 01/24/2019 12:43:50 PM PST by Red Badger
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To: All

Break big techs down. Monopolistic creatures they’ve become.


2 posted on 01/24/2019 12:48:45 PM PST by veracious (UN=OIC=Islam ; Dems may change USAgov completely, just amend USConstitution)
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To: Red Badger

Best news I’ve heard in a long time.


3 posted on 01/24/2019 1:04:16 PM PST by seawolf101 (Member LES DEPLORABLES)
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To: veracious

Id like to see a major hack of facebook that takes it down


4 posted on 01/24/2019 1:04:51 PM PST by Dont tread and Live (waso)
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To: Dont tread and Live

And Amazon, Google....


5 posted on 01/24/2019 1:10:48 PM PST by rstrahan
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To: Red Badger
Among those signing onto the letter were the Open Markets Institute, the civil rights group Color of Change and Common Sense Media.

Liberals loved Facebook when they thought they had complete control.

When they learned Zuckerberg accepted money for Russian ad memes, Cambridge Analytica was using their data, and Brad Parscale was successfully mining data for the Trump campaign they decide Facebook needed to be destroyed.

6 posted on 01/24/2019 1:25:23 PM PST by yesthatjallen
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To: veracious

Facebook is committing stock fraud and stealing from the advertisers claiming they have 2 billion accounts. I saw a story yesterday that said they know 50% of the accounts are fraudulent. I believe the number is far lower. Bots create them and do fake clicks on the ads and Facebook execs know this as they make lots of money committing fraud.


7 posted on 01/25/2019 10:45:19 PM PST by minnesota_bound
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