Why Facebook should fear a Democratic win in 2020

When the Federal Trade Commission delivered its $5 billion privacy settlement with Facebook, the agency’s leaders were harsh: “Facebook betrayed the trust of its users,” Chairman Joe Simons told reporters Wednesday.

The company had engaged in “deceptive practices” and let profits shape its handling of millions of people’s data, he and two fellow commissioners charged.

The panel’s two dissenting Democrats were so outraged they voted against the historically large fine — calling it too meager to deter the giant social media company from abusing the trust of its users, and saying the agency should have considered taking Facebook to court and held CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally liable.

“Facebook’s violations of law have harmed democracy and society,” wrote FTC commissioner Rohit Chopra in a 21-page dissent. The settlement, fellow commission Democrat Rebecca Slaughter wrote, “leaves the American public vulnerable.”

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