Entries tagged with: in re Facebook

80 result(s) displayed.

Court Approves FTC-Facebook Deal, But Says Data Protection Laws Need Updating

Despite objections from EPIC and other consumer groups, a federal judge has approved the Federal Trade Commission’s settlement with Facebook over the company’s alleged violations of the 2012 consent decree and the FTC Act. The court called Facebook’s alleged conduct...

EPIC Uncovers 3,156 More Facebook Complaints at FTC—Over 29,000 Now Pending

Through a Freedom of Information Act Request, EPIC has obtained thousands of new consumer complaints (part 1, part 2)against Facebook. The most recent documents, released to EPIC, follow the Commission’s proposed $5 b settlement in July. Among the complaints uncovered...

EPIC Pursues Intervention in FTC Facebook Case

EPIC has filed a reply brief in support of its motion to intervene in United States v. Facebook, a case concerning the proposed settlement between the Federal Trade Commission and Facebook. The Government and Facebook have sought to block EPIC's...

EPIC Challenges FTC-Facebook Settlement, Asks Court to Hear from Privacy Groups

EPIC has filed a Motion to Intervene in United States v. Facebook to protect the interests of Facebook users. The case concerns a proposed settlement between the FTC and Facebook. EPIC said the settlement "is not adequate, reasonable, or appropriate."...

BREAKING - FTC Issues Facebook Fine, EPIC - "Too little, too late."

The Federal Trade Commission announced today the first fine against Facebook since EPIC and a coalition of privacy organizations filed a complaint with the Commission about the company’s businesses practices back in 2009. In a 2011 consent order the FTC...

Court Rules D.C. Attorney General's Lawsuit Against Facebook Will Proceed

The D.C. Superior Court denied Facebook's motion to dismiss the complaint filed by D.C. Attorney General over the privacy practices that led to Cambridge Analytica. The D.C. Attorney General alleged that Facebook failed to monitor third-party use of personal data...

Facebook Anticipates $3B-$5B Fine

According to news reports, Facebook has budgeted $3 billion for in its first-quarter earnings report, saying it expected the FTC to fine the company between $3-$5 billion. In January, EPIC and a coalition of consumer and civil rights groups sent...

Senator Blumenthal Calls on FTC to Unwind Big Tech Mergers

In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this week, Senator Richard Blumenthal said that antitrust enforcers must consider unwinding anticompetitive mergers. “Over the past decade tech companies have in effect been given a free pass by antitrust regulators,” Senator Blumenthal...

EPIC, Open Markets, Civil Rights Groups Press FTC on Facebook Consent Order

EPIC joined a coalition of groups urging the FTC to issue strong penalties in Facebook matter. "Given that Facebook’s violations are so numerous in scale, severe in nature, impactful for such a large portion of the American public and central...

Senators Urge FTC to Act Against Facebook

In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal pushed the Commission to take swift action against Facebook, despite the government shutdown. "While we have repeatedly expressed concerns about the pace of this investigation, we...

In Facebook Case, Ninth Circuit Ignores Privacy Risks of Visits to Healthcare Websites

In a surprisingly brief opinion, the Ninth Circuit has upheld a decision to dismiss a privacy suit against Facebook concerning the collection of sensitive medical data. In Smith v. Facebook, users alleged that the company tracked their visits to healthcare...

EPIC, Consumer Groups Urge FTC to conclude Facebook Investigation

EPIC and a coalition of consumer groups have asked the FTC to conclude the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica investigation by September 1, 2018. The groups said, "It is critical that the FTC conclude the Facebook matter, issue a significant fine, and ensure...

Facebook's Response to Congress Provides More Evidence of Consent Order Violations

Late Friday afternoon, Facebook submitted over 700 pages of responses to questions from members of Congress following Mark Zuckerberg's testimony in April. Facebook has now admitted that it provided developers and device makers access to personal data despite publicly stating...

EPIC Urges Appeals Court to Protect Consumers Against Invasive Cookie Tracking Practices

EPIC has filed an amicus brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in In re: Facebook, Inc. Internet Tracking Litigation. At issue is whether Facebook violated the privacy rights of users by tracking their web browsing even after they...

US Consumer Groups Urge FTC To Examine 'Deceived by Design' Practices

EPIC and a coalition of consumer organizations sent a letter to the FTC about recent tactics by Facebook and Google to trick users into disclosing personal data. "We urge you to investigate the misleading and manipulative tactics of the dominant...

At Senate Hearing, Former FTC CTO States That Facebook Violated FTC Consent Order

In a Senate Commerce Committee hearing today on Facebook and data privacy, former FTC CTO Ashkan Soltani stated that Facebook violated the 2011 FTC Consent Order by transferring personal data to Cambridge Analytica and device makers contrary to user privacy...

EPIC Urges Senate Committee to Focus on Consent Order with Facebook

EPIC has sent a statement to the Senate Commerce Committee outlining the FTC's failure to enforce the 2011 Consent Order with Facebook. The statement from EPIC is for a hearing on "Cambridge Analytica and Other Facebook Partners: Examining Data Privacy...

Facebook Overrode Users’ Privacy Settings And Allowed Device Makers To Access Personal Data

Facebook had secret arrangements with at least 60 device makers granting them access to users' personal data, according to a report by the New York Times. Facebook overrode users privacy settings to allow companies to access sensitive information that users'...

EPIC Obtains Partial Release of 2017 Facebook Audit

EPIC has obtained a redacted version of the 2017 Facebook Assessment required by the 2012 Federal Trade Commission Consent Order. The Order required Facebook to conduct biennial assessments from a third-party auditor of Facebook's privacy and security practices. In March,...

Senator Blumenthal Calls On FTC To Enforce Consent Order Against Facebook

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) has called for "monetary penalties that provide redress for consumers and stricter oversight" in a letter to the Federal Trade Commission. Senator Blumenthal focused on the FTC's 2011 Consent Order that EPIC, and a coalition of...

EPIC Urges Senate to Focus on FTC Consent Order with Facebook

In advance of a joint hearing about Facebook's failure to protect the personal data of users, EPIC has sent a comprehensive statement to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the Senate Committee on Commerce. EPIC is urging the Senators...

In re Facebook and Facial Recognition (2018)

Background | 2018 FTC Complaint | Legal Documents | News Summary On April 6, 2018, EPIC and a coalition of consumer privacy organizations filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, charging that Facebook's facial recognition practice lacks privacy...

UPDATE - EPIC, Consumer Groups Urge FTC to Investigate Facebook's Use of Facial Recognition

EPIC and a coalition of consumer groups have filed a complaint with the FTC, charging that Facebook's use of facial recognition techniques threaten user privacy and "in multiple ways" violate the 2011 Consent Order with the Commission. "The scanning of...

EPIC, Consumer Groups to Urge Federal Trade Commission to Investigate Facebook's Use of Facial Recognition

EPIC and a coalition of consumer groups will file a complaint with the FTC on Friday charging that Facebook's use of facial recognition techniques threaten user privacy and violate the 2011 Consent Order with the Commission. "The scanning of facial...

State AGs Launch Facebook Investigation

A bipartisan group of 37 State Attorneys General is investigating Facebook's business practices and lack of privacy protections. "Businesses like Facebook must comply with the law when it comes to how they use their customers' personal data," Pennsylvania Attorney General...

FTC Confirms Investigation Into Facebook about 2011 Consent Order

The Federal Trade Commission has confirmed an investigation into Facebook for the company's failure to protect the personal data obtained by Cambridge Analytica. Facebook likely violated the FTC's 2011 Consent Order with the company. Last week, EPIC and a coalition...

EPIC FOIAs FTC, Seeks Facebook's Privacy Assessments

EPIC has submitted an urgent Freedom of Information Act request to the Federal Trade Commission, seeking the privacy assessments required by the FTC's 2012 Consent Order. Facebook is required to produce independent privacy assessments every two years for the next...

EPIC, Consumer Groups Urge FTC To Investigate Facebook

In a statement issued today, EPIC and a coalition of consumer groups have called on the Federal Trade Commission to determine whether Facebook violated a 2011 Consent Order when it facilitated the transfer of personal data of 50 million Facebook...

Facebook "Breach" Highlights Failure of FTC to Enforce Consent Orders

In 2009, EPIC and a coalition of US consumer privacy organizations petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to establish comprehensive privacy safeguards after Facebook changed user privacy settings and secretly transferred user data to third parties. In 2011, the FTC agreed...

EPIC Offers Recommendations for Future of FTC Ahead of Senate Hearing on Nominees

In advance of a Senate hearing on four nominees to the Federal Trade Commission, EPIC recommended 10 steps for the FTC to safeguard American consumers. EPIC explained that the FTC's failure to address the data protection crisis has contributed to...

EPIC Calls for Greater FTC Enforcement

In advance of a Senate Commerce hearing on consumer privacy, EPIC called for more action by the Federal Trade Commission to protect American consumers. In a statement for the Committee, EPIC said that "the FTC is simply not doing enough...

EPIC Urges Public Comments on FTC Settlement with Uber

EPIC is urging the public to comment on the proposed FTC settlement with Uber regarding consumer privacy. (Federal Register Notice). The FTC settlement follows EPIC's 2015 complaint, which detailed Uber's secretive tracking of customers and surreptitious collection of user data....

Following EPIC Complaint, Uber Agrees To Stop Tracking Riders

Uber has ended the practice of tracking customers before and after they are picked up. In 2015, Uber announced the company would track the location of riders from the time they ordered a ride until after they had reached their...

After EPIC Privacy Complaint, Uber Settles with FTC

After an EPIC complaint about Uber's privacy practices, Uber has entered into a consent agreement with the FTC. The agreement prohibits Uber from misrepresenting how it monitors or secures consumer information. As with most FTC privacy settlements, the agreement also...

Rep. Blackburn Proposes Online Privacy Bill, Would Preempt Stronger State Protections

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has introduced the The Browser Act, H.R. 2520, aimed at protecting online privacy. The Browser Act would apply to Internet ISPs as well as Internet companies, such, as Google and Facebook, and would generally require "opt-in"...

EPIC, CDD Charge WhatsApp Policy Change Unlawful, Urge FTC to Act

EPIC and the Center for Digital Democracy have filed a complaint with the FTC concerning WhatsApp’s plan to transfer user data, including personal phone numbers, to Facebook. This reversal contradicts WhatsApp’s previous promises to users that their personal information would...

With New Policy Changes, Facebook Tracks Users Across the Web

Over the objections of consumer privacy organizations, Facebook has implemented policy changes that allow the company to track users across the web without consent. The Dutch data protection commissioner launched an investigation after the original announcement. This week the a...

Facebook Revises Privacy Policy

Facebook has again revised its privacy policy. Despite the new graphics, Facebook continues to collect and disclose enormous amounts of user data without meaningful consent. The use of location data has expanded dramatically. "We collect information from or about the...

Facebook Responds to EPIC Complaint About "Emotions Study"

Facebook has announced revised guidelines concerning user data the company discloses to researchers. In 2012, Facebook subjected 700,000 users to an "emotional" test by manipulating their News Feeds. Facebook did not get users' permission to conduct this study or notify...

European Facebook Users Privacy Lawsuit Moves Forward

A group of over 25,000 European Facebook users may proceed with their lawsuit against Facebook. The users, led by privacy activist Max Schrems, sued Facebook in a court in Vienna. The users charge Facebook with violating EU privacy law by...

Following EPIC Complaint, Senator Seeks Investigation of Facebook User Manipulation Study

Senator Mark Warner has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the legality of Facebook's emotional manipulation study. In a letter to the Commission, Senator Warner stated that "it is not clear whether Facebook users were adequately informed and given...

EPIC Challenges Facebook's Manipulation of Users, Files FTC Complaint

EPIC has filed a formal complaint to the Federal Trade Commission concerning Facebook's manipulation of users' News Feeds for psychological research. "The company purposefully messed with people's minds," states the EPIC complaint. EPIC has charged that the study violates a...

EPIC Urges FTC to Protect Snapchat Users' Privacy

EPIC has submitted comments to the Federal Trade Commission, urging the agency to require Snapchat to safeguard consumer privacy. Following a 2013 EPIC complaint, the FTC signed a consent order with Snapchat, the publisher of a mobile app that encourages...

Federal Trade Commission Urges Court to Protect Student Privacy

The Federal Trade Commission is opposing the sale of student data in a bankruptcy proceeding for ConnectEDU. The company privacy policy promises it will give students "reasonable notice and an opportunity to remove personally identifiable information" from its website. The...

EU Court Rules Google Must Respect Right to Delete Links

The European Court of Justice has upheld the "right to be forgotten" and ruled that Google must delete links upon request concerning private life. The Court also determined that companies are subject to the EU Data Protection Directive and that...

EPIC's Snapchat Privacy Complaint Results in 20-Year FTC Consent Order

Following a 2013 EPIC complaint, the FTC has signed a consent order with Snapchat, the publisher of a mobile app that encourages user to share intimate photos and videos. Snapchat claimed that pictures and videos would "disappear forever." However, the...

FTC Responds to EPIC Complaint on WhatsApp and Privacy

The Federal Trade Commission has notified Facebook and WhatsApp that they must honor their privacy commitments to users. According to the letter from the Director of the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection, "if the acquisition is completed and WhatsApp fails...

Federal Trade Commission Backs Users in Facebook Privacy Case

The FTC has filed an amicus brief in a case before a federal appeals court concerning Facebook users. If a controversial settlement is approved, Facebook will display the images of users, including young children, in Facebook advertising without consent. Several...

WhatsApp Founder Responds to EPIC Privacy Complaint

Following Facebook's announced plan to purchase WhatsApp, a popular pro-privacy messaging services, EPIC urged the FTC to block the acquisition. EPIC explained to the Commission that Facebook incorporates user data from companies it acquires, and that WhatsApp users objected to...

EPIC Urges FTC Investigation of WhatsApp Sale to Facebook

EPIC has filed a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission concerning Facebook's proposed purchase of WhatsApp. WhatsApp is a messaging service that gained popularity based on its strong pro-privacy approach to user data. WhatsApp currently has 450 million active users,...