FB sharing user's data may have violated an agreement with US gov't

["Dave Farber" <farber () gmail com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Kimi Wei <kimiwei88 () gmail com>
> Date: December 20, 2018 at 10:04:12 AM GMT+9
> To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
> Subject: FB sharing user's data may have violated an agreement with US gov't
>
> https://www.freepress.net/news/updates/facebook-violates-its-users-privacy-yet-again?fbclid=IwAR3vzF_fU7g9Wxv28IO3Mv-95lga5Q2xeyyLBVjdIyH46cPehnsK28T_kK8
>
> When @FB gave @Amazon & others access to user data (including private messages) it wasn't just behaving unethically. 
> It also may have violated an agreement it had with the government
>
> Facebook Violates Its Users' Privacy Yet Again
> December 19, 2018
>
> That’s right. The social-media giant has found its way into the spotlight once again: A New York Times investigation 
> published Tuesday reveals that the company has given Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, Yahoo and others unprecedented 
> access to user data in what appears to be a violation of a consent decree Facebook reached with the Federal Trade 
> Commission over previous privacy violations.
>
> It’s past time for the government to hold Facebook accountable to its users and to the public. The FTC needs to 
> enforce its agreements and stop sitting on its hands. The very consent decree the agency reached with Facebook 
> contemplates fines of thousands of dollars per violation. This means that Facebook, one of the highest-valued 
> companies on Earth, could be liable for billions of dollars in damages for violating that agreement. 
>
> Facebook has long claimed that the company doesn’t sell user data, but the Timesinvestigation reveals it’s instead 
> doing the next best (worst?) thing: entering into partnerships with more than 150 companies and giving them 
> unprecedented access to our personal information and data.
>
> All of this, of course, is happening without our permission.
>
> The latest revelations
>
> The New York Times story uncovers precisely how much data Facebook’s “partners” have had access to for the last eight 
> years — including private messages, email addresses and phone numbers. Facebook never told users their information 
> was being shared in this way. 
>
> Facebook allowed some of the largest tech companies to access Facebook users’ private messages across the network. 
> The company also allowed extraordinary access to personal information even if users had disabled all sharing.
>
> This is merely the latest in a long line of revelations that point to a straightforward conclusion: Facebook is 
> failing its users on multiple fronts.
>
> The past few months have seen the company stooping to extreme lows to further its bottom line. In November, the New 
> York Times published a blockbuster exposé on the company’s internal machinations to contain the fallout from the 
> Cambridge Analytica scandal, Russian propaganda and election interference on the network, and long-overdue talk of 
> regulation to address these and other issues.
>
> In response to criticism about how it violated its users’ privacy and failed to stop foreign-election interference on 
> the platform, Facebook  paid a conservative PR firm to tie advocacy groups to philanthropist George Soros, tapping 
> into hateful anti-Semitic tropes and tactics. Specifically, Facebook went after company critics including 
> racial-justice nonprofit Color Of Change and groups that launched the Freedom from Facebook campaign. Facebook also 
> worked feverishly to undermine the Russia investigation.
>
> Again and again, revelation after revelation shows that Facebook fails to protect its users’ information. Instead of 
> respecting its users’ wishes and controls on privacy, it’s repeatedly granted large companies access to private data.
>
> Facebook's 2011 consent decree
>
> Facebook has been criticized for privacy violations practically since its inception.
>
> In 2009, after settling a class-action lawsuit for sharing information without its users’ permission, it changed its 
> privacy policies again, promising that it would allow information to be shared only to groups that users selected. 
> But then, as now, it allowed companies access to user information far beyond the bargain that people made through 
> their privacy settings.
>
> Because of these practices, the FTC charged Facebook for its deceptive practices in a lawsuit. To settle those 
> charges, the company entered into an agreement with the FTC, known as a consent decree, for failing to keep its 
> promises to its users.
>
> In the decree, the FTC “barred [Facebook] from making misrepresentations” about its users’ privacy and required the 
> company to get explicit consent from its users if and when it made any changes that overrode their privacy 
> preferences. 
>
> Needless to say, Facebook hasn’t lived up to these promises.   
>
> The FTC’s approach so far has been timid. Given that the agency’s new director of consumer protection has conflicts 
> of interest with over 120 companies, including Facebook, maybe that shouldn’t be a surprise.
>
> In March, the FTC confirmed that it had reopened its investigation into Facebook’s practices. But a looming 
> investigation and the mere threat on paper of serious fines has done nothing to change the company’s behavior. To end 
> business as usual — and stop the exploitation of our personal data — we need real action from the FTC and increased 
> pressure from Congress. 
>
> We’ve had enough. The public must demand more of our enforcement agencies, and we must demand more of companies that 
> gather detailed information about our lives. The FTC should aggressively seek punitive damages against Facebook and 
> put a stop to its deceptive behavior.
>
> And if he can’t make real changes, CEO Mark Zuckerberg should step down and the Facebook board should find someone 
> who will do the right thing.
>
> Urge the FTC and Congress to hold Facebook accountable.
>
>
> Kimi Wei
> kimi () thewei com  @kimiwei
> facebook.com/thekimiwei
> 862-203-8814



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