FTC ordered social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram to justify their need for access to users’ data

It has been reported that the federal trade commission in the US has come up with a plan to demand from 9 platforms about how they use users' data. Mentioning all the 9 companies: Discord, Facebook, Amazon, Reddit, Snap, Twitter, Whatsapp, Youtube, and Tik Tok, the company questioned them that what makes them have access to users’ data. On Monday, the letters have been sent to these giant companies by the FTC ( Federal Trade Commission). The department is expecting responses from all the 9 companies within the timespan of 45 days. However, all of the companies seemed to take time to present a justification of what they are accused of.

The strict laws imposed by the US regulators have left the social media companies with no other option than to answer the reasons which made them misuse their users' data and violate the federal anti-monopoly law.

Previously, FTC and 48 other states and districts filed a case against Facebook for attempting to completely put down small companies to make them leave the market. Facebook- whose current income is an estimation of 7.85 billion U.S dollars, denied agreeing upon this.

The agency seemed to be in form while demanding the answers to 3 questions. It said that under section 6(b) of the FTC Act, the agency considers it necessary to ask companies about how the companies are influencing the Americans.

It is miserable to tell you that companies haven’t still found proofs and logic to prove why they manipulate users’ data. The public, agencies, and policymakers are all concerned about where does the data go. It is disappointing how companies know every minute details about their users and doesn’t let others know about it- said Rohit Chopra, Rebecca Slaughter, and Christine Wilson. All three of them are the appointed commissioners at FTC.

The agency wants the companies to answer that how many users each of them have and how active they are on each social media and video-sharing platform. The agency is also eager to know that to what limit do these social media giants have access to their users’ information. The list of questions goes on where the agency is waiting for the response of question under which process and steps do the companies make use of users’ data. The agency is also concerned about how the advertisement and promotional ads of these firms negatively affect young and underage users.

Well, from all the historic shreds of evidence, this time it is quite clear that companies would fail to provide information regarding how does it process the stolen data. It is advised to hope for the best and wait till FTC decides to take further action.


Photo: Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP/Getty Images

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