Facebook could face massive fine over privacy failures

Discussions reported with FTC over a potential fine for past privacy violations

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Image: Pixabay (CC)

Facebook is in legal trouble again according to an article on the Washington Post. 

The Federal Trade Commission is reportedly in discussions with the tech giant to settle a multibillion-dollar fine after an investigation into past privacy violations.

This is far from the first time Facebook has found itself in hot water following the Cambridge Analytica scandal last year and the more recent revelation that the company was offering teenagers monthly payments for unfiltered access to their phone’s data.

If this fine comes down it would be the largest the FTC has ever handed out, with the previous record being held by Google when it received a $22.5 million (€20 million) penalty for tracking users of the Safari web browser when it had promised it would not.

The fine is still in negotiation but if the FTC and Facebook cannot arrive at an agreement, then Facebook could be taken to court over alleged past failures surrounding negligence of user privacy.

IDG News Service

Read More: data breach Data protection Facebook Federal Trade Commission privacy