FTC Chair Lina Khan remarked, “While lucrative for the companies, these surveillance practices can endanger people’s privacy, threaten freedoms, expose them to harms, and identity theft to stalking”
NEW YORK: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a report on Thursday highlighting the opaque data practices of major social media companies, including Meta Platforms, TikTok, and Twitch. The report revealed that these companies collect, share, and process extensive amounts of user information while providing minimal transparency or user control, especially regarding how this data is utilized in artificial intelligence systems.
The FTC’s analysis criticized the data management and retention policies of many of these firms as “woefully inadequate.” In addition to Meta and TikTok, platforms such as YouTube, social media site X (formerly Twitter), Snap, Discord, and Reddit were reviewed, although specific practices were anonymized. Notably, YouTube operates under Alphabet’s Google. The report indicated that social media companies utilize various tracking technologies for online advertising, alongside purchasing data from brokers, to gather information about users.
FTC Chair Lina Khan remarked, “While lucrative for the companies, these surveillance practices can endanger people’s privacy, threaten their freedoms, and expose them to a host of harms, from identity theft to stalking.” Data privacy concerns, especially for children and teens, have gained significant attention in recent legislative discussions. The U.S. House of Representatives is currently considering bills aimed at mitigating social media’s impact on younger users, following similar measures passed by the Senate in July. In response to these concerns, Meta has introduced enhanced parental controls for teen accounts.
As the demand for data to train artificial intelligence systems grows, major tech companies have been actively acquiring data sources. However, the nature of these data transactions often lacks transparency, with many involving private content that is accessible only behind paywalls, and users frequently remain unaware of how their information is being utilized.
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