Last week, we learned that the FTC was opening an investigation into the situation between Facebook and Cambridge Analytica. Now, the agency has confirmed that it’s indeed investigating Facebook. “The FTC takes very seriously recent press reports raising substantial concerns about the privacy practices of Facebook,” the FTC said in a statement. “Today, the FTC is confirming that it has an open non-public investigation into these practices.”
Cambridge Analytica and Facebook have come under fire recently due to 50 million people being affected on data usage without consent. Cambridge Analytica obtained user profiles and collected the data through an app. Facebook has been getting hard inquiries from a number of groups including the UK Parliament and Congress, as well as states, shareholders and Facebook users.
“The FTC is firmly and fully committed to using all of its tools to protect the privacy of consumers,” Tom Pahl, acting director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “Foremost among these tools is enforcement action against companies that fail to honor their privacy promises, including to comply with Privacy Shield, or that engage in unfair acts that cause substantial injury to consumers in violation of the FTC Act.”
