Official announcements from YouTube or Google

FTC Criticizes Amazon, YouTube, Facebook for Extensive User Surveillance, Failing to Protect Children and Teens

Sep 19, 2024, 07:34 PM

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released a report criticizing major social media and streaming platforms, including Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, Meta, TikTok, and Twitch, for engaging in extensive surveillance practices. The report highlights that these companies collect, share, and monetize vast amounts of user data, often without adequate privacy protections, particularly for children and teens. The FTC found that these platforms retain large amounts of data indefinitely and fail to provide users with sufficient control over their personal information. The report also points out that these practices have generated significant wealth for tech giants while exposing users to risks such as fraud and profiling. FTC Chair Lina Khan emphasized the need for tighter regulations to protect user privacy and called for an end to the era of self-regulation by these companies. The FTC described the data privacy practices as 'woefully inadequate' and highlighted the massive risks posed by advertising tracking and data broker ecosystems. The report also noted the lack of transparency in how AI systems use collected data.