FTC Being Pushed To Break Up Facebook

Facebook has gone through a tough time following the Cambridge Analytica data scandal but it doesn’t seem to be out of the woods just yet. Some major advocacy groups are calling on the Federal Trade Commission to take stringent measures against the world’s largest social network, including breaking it up as punishment for abuse of its market position.

Advocacy groups like the Open Market Institute, Color of Change, and the Electronics Privacy Information Center have called on the FTC today to make a major intervention into the way Facebook operators. They’re calling for a multi-billion dollar fine, an overhaul of Facebook’s hiring practices, and even breaking up the company.

Groups like the Open Market Institute and Color of Change are of the view that Facebook should be fined up to $2 billion and that it should be made to divest its ownership of WhatsApp and Instagram owing to its failure to protect user data on those platforms as well.

“Penalties and remedies that go far beyond the Commission’s recent actions are called for,” the groups argue, but it’s unclear if the FTC will do what they’re asking for. Moreover, the FTC is shut down currently, as many of its employees have been furloughed due to the government shutdown. Facebook has not commented on the matter yet.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Web
Tags: Facebook