FTC Says Facebook Violated 2020 Privacy Order, Proposes More Protections for Teens and Children

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed changes to its 2020 privacy order with Facebook after the company allegedly failed to comply with it. The FTC stated this is the third instance it has taken action against the company for failing to fully protect users’ privacy.

“Facebook has repeatedly violated its privacy promises,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s bureau of consumer protection, said in a statement. “The company’s recklessness has put young users at risk, and Facebook needs to answer for its failures.”

The FTC says that Facebook (whose parent company was renamed Meta in 2021) misled parents about their ability to control their children’s communications in the Messenger Kids app — which launched in 2017 — and that in some cases children were able to communicate with contacts not approved by parents through group chats and group video calls.

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