Facebook privacy breaches could result in record fine

Facebook may be facing the biggest fine ever imposed by the US Federal Trade Commission for breaching privacy involving the personal information of its 2.2 billion users.

The FTC plans to impose a $ 22.5 million ($ 33.5 million) fine on Facebook, which was awarded to Google in 2012, for circumventing Safari's browser privacy controls. Apple, according to the Washington Post. The story released Friday quoted three unidentified people familiar with the discussions.

In an automated response, the FTC said it could not comment, citing its closure due to the closure of the US government. Facebook declined to comment.

The potential fine results from a FTC investigation opened following revelations that data badytics firm Cambridge Analytica had screened more than 87 million Facebook users without their permission.

The FTC was investigating whether the mbadive blackout was in violation of a settlement Facebook had reached in 2011 after government regulators concluded that Menlo Park, California, had repeatedly breached its promises to protect life. private.

The FTC's decree, which runs until 2031, requires Facebook to obtain consent from its users to share their personal information in a manner not permitted by their privacy settings.

Since the Cambridge Analytica erupted 10 months ago, Facebook is committed to doing a better job by correcting the data of its users. Nevertheless, his controls remained watertight. Last month, the company acknowledged that a software flaw had exposed photos of about 7 million users to a wider audience than expected.

The five FTC commissioners have discussed a fine imposed on Facebook but have not yet settled the amount, according to the newspaper.

Facebook's privacy issues are also the subject of an investigation in other countries and are the subject of a lawsuit filed last month by the Attorney General of Canada. Washington, DC Racine, Washington.

– AP