Consumer Groups Ask Federal Court to Reject FTC-Facebook Privacy Deal
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia should reject the FTC’s $5 billion privacy settlement with Facebook (see 1908060022) because the deal’s release from liability is too broad, consumer groups argued Tuesday. Public Citizen, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood,…
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Common Sense Media and U.S. Public Interest Research Group filed (in Pacer) an amicus brief (in Pacer) in opposition to the agency’s consent decree. The settlement releases Facebook from claims prior to June 12 that the company violated a 2012 commission order and any FTC Act Section 5-related claims the agency was aware of before the same date. “Because of the release clause’s breadth, the proposed consent decree was not fair or reasonable and should be rejected by the court,” the groups argue. The Electronic Privacy Information Center's brief (in Pacer) argued the deal's “both procedurally and substantively unfair and must be rejected due to the expansive and vague release of liability granted.” The Center for the Legalization of Privacy in a third opposition brief said (in Pacer) the FTC order can be interpreted to grant the FTC and DOJ warrantless access to Facebook user data.