According to a report, Facebook is negotiating with US authorities over a fine worth billions. Reason are data protection injuries as in the scandal around Cambridge Analytica.
For Facebook, the privacy scandal with Cambridge Analytica and other violations could be expensive.
According to a report by the Washington Post , the company is currently negotiating with the US consumer protection agency FTC over a fine of several billion dollars. The newspaper reported, citing unspecified sources. The regulator investigates whether Facebook has breached a 2011 data protection law by sharing user data.
Both sides have not yet agreed on the specific sum of a fine. However, it could be the biggest penalty for a technology company with billions of dollars, said two persons familiar with the operation of the newspaper. Facebook said the company was working with the agency, but declined further comments.
In recent years, there have been several privacy concerns on Facebook. According to the report, the FTC is particularly focused on the scandal surrounding Cambridge Analytica last year, when the data analysis company tapped personal information from around 87 million Facebook users without their permission. She wanted to influence the vote in the US elections 2016 in the sense of clients.
At its heart is the question of whether Facebook violated an agreement with the FTC in 2011, according to which the privacy of users should be protected. With $ 22.5 million, the Google Group Alphabet had to pay the biggest penalty so far, which was imposed on data protection offenses.
