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In December 2020, the Federal Trade Commission Order the biggest social media It called on streaming companies around the world, including Twitch owner Amazon, Facebook (now Meta), YouTube, Reddit, WhatsApp, Twitter (now X), Snap, Discord and TikTok’s ByteDance, to share how they use users’ personal information.
On Thursday, FTC staff 129-page reportThe report said that all of these companies “collect vast amounts of Americans’ personal data and generate billions of dollars in annual revenue.” FTC Chairman Lina M. Khan said:.
“While this surveillance practice benefits companies, it also puts people’s privacy at risk, threatens their liberties and exposes them to a range of harms, from identity theft to stalking,” Khan said.
Related: FTC bans businesses from writing reviews, buying reviews, and getting bot followers
The report found that major social media companies Massive amounts of personal data And they’re using it in ways users might not expect: For example, the FTC found that “many” of these companies buy data about users’ locations, annual income, and interests from third-party brokers to get a better picture of their users’ internet activity outside of social media platforms.
This personal information is the basis for targeted advertising, which is how most social media sites make money. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other products and platforms, 98% of $39.07 billion in revenue Second quarter revenue came from advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
Related: Federal judge blocks FTC anti-compete order two weeks before it was set to take effect — here’s why
According to the FTC report, it’s hard for users to understand how social media platforms collect information about them and how much of it is used to personalize ads. Many may not even know what goes on behind the scenes.
Moreover, even if users knew that social media platforms were using their data, they had no “meaningful control” over how their personal information was used. [is] “Used,” the FTC report states.
Companies use personal information to power algorithms, data analytics, and AI that shape content recommendations, search, advertising, and other key aspects of their business. The FTC recommended that companies be transparent about the data they collect, strengthen privacy protections, and give users more control over their data.
The FTC also found that when users asked to delete their data, some sites would anonymize the data they had on hand but leave it on file rather than wiping it all. Platforms that removed personal data upon request did so selectively, rather than deleting everything, according to the report.
Related: The FTC is suing to block the Coach-Michael Kors merger.
“Companies can and should do more to protect consumer privacy, and Congress should enact comprehensive federal privacy legislation that limits surveillance and provides consumers with data rights,” the report said.
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