Dec 15, 2020 10:47:00

Federal Trade Commission begins investigation into 'personal information handling' on social media such as YouTube and Twitter

The

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of the United States, which is stepping up its efforts toward digital privacy, has announced that it has begun investigating personal information collected from users on nine social media such as YouTube and Facebook.

FTC Issues Orders to Nine Social Media and Video Streaming Services Seeking Data About How They Collect, Use, and Present Information | Federal Trade Commission
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2020/12/ftc-issues-orders-nine-social-media-video-streaming-services

The FTC is investigating data collection at YouTube, Facebook, and seven other companies --The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/14/22174755/ftc-data-privacy-youtube-facebook-reddit-twitter-snapchat-discord-inquiry

Nine social media surveyed by FTC are YouTube, Twitter, Twitch, Discord, TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat and Reddit. Companies requested by the FTC to respond to the survey must respond to the FTC within 45 days.

The FTC's request has only been approved as part of the investigation and is not intended for any specific legal enforcement. However, the FTC can take coercive action if it discovers fraud during the investigation period. FTC tells each company how it collects personal information, how it determines which ads and content users will see, and whether users 'apply algorithms and data analysis to personal information.' Requested to provide.

'Social media may have started with the simple goal of connecting people and fostering creativity, but in the decades since its introduction, the industrial model of social media has become a user's model. It has changed from supporting activities to monetizing. '

A Twitter spokeswoman told IT news site The Verge, 'As always, we strive to get the information FTC needs to understand how Twitter services operate. We will cooperate with the investigation. '

A spokeswoman for Discord, a chat tool for gamers, said, 'Discord takes user privacy very seriously and looks forward to working with FTC to answer questions about our privacy practices.' I told you.

Regarding the execution of the survey, a vote was held within the FTC, and it was approved with 4 votes in favor and 1 vote against. 'I don't think the scope of the investigation is too broad to produce useful results,' said Noah Phillips, who voted against it.