Meta was accused by the Federal Trade Commission of repeatedly violating privacy promises it made to US regulators and now faces a possible government ban on launching new social media products without an independent review.
Meta, the parent company of the Facebook platform, has been under an FTC order for more than a decade. It paid a record $5 billion fine in 2019 for privacy violations, entering into a new settlement that increased the responsibility of the company’s board to protect user data.
The FTC opened an administrative proceeding Wednesday, alleging Meta has continued to violate the law by allowing third-party developers to access user data and misrepresenting to parents the level of control over kids’ communications in its Messenger Kids app.
“Facebook has repeatedly violated its privacy promises,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “The company’s recklessness has put young users at risk, and Facebook needs to answer for its failures.”
Meta called the FTC’s latest proceeding a “political stunt” and said it will vigorously fight the agency.
