Subj : FTC says social media apps are surveilling kids and teens
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Fri Sep 20 2024 17:15:05

FTC says social media apps are surveilling kids and teens

Date:
Fri, 20 Sep 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Description:
They're doing very little to protect the young ones from harmful content and 
are pushing back against legislation.

FULL STORY
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Social media apps are surveilling children and teenagers, and using the data 
gathered to earn billions of dollars every year. 

At the same time, theyre doing close to nothing to protect their young users 
from harmful content. 

This is one of the conclusions published in a new staff report from the US 
Federal Trade Commission (FTC), BleepingComputer finds. Free speech 

Apparently, back in 2020, the FTC started probing into the biggest social 
media platforms out there: Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, 
TIkTok, Discord, Reddit, and WhatsApp. The probe analyzed, among other 
things, how these companies collected data, how they tracked personal 
information, demographic information, and how the practice affected minors. 

While data harvesting and monetization is nothing new, especially with social 
media companies, the FTC was particularly worried about the way these firms 
managed their younger audience. FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said "several firms' 
failure to adequately protect kids and teens online is especially troubling." 

One of the ways these companies tried to bury the problem is by saying there 
were no children on the platforms, the report argues. Apparently, many 
companies said since the services were not directed to children, there were 
no children present. The FTC believes this was a way to avoid complying with 
the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act. Instead, these firms were 
treating teens the same as adults. 

For Graeme Stewart, head of public sector at Check Point Software, one of the 
biggest problems is social media companies pushing back against any 
legislation that might limit teens use of their platforms. 

Various governments around the world are stepping in to address this, he 
said, adding that social media companies push back, essentially arguing that 
theyre just providing a platform and shouldnt be held accountable for 
inappropriate content posted on it. They also lobby governments, framing 
their arguments around free speech. 

The best parental control apps can help restrict access children's access to 
social media. 

 Via BleepingComputer More from TechRadar Pro Using your real name on social 
media? Here's why you should think twice Here's a list of the best firewalls 
around today These are the best endpoint security tools right now



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/ftc-says-social-media-apps-are-surveill
ing-kids-and-teens


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