LONDON – TECH – Facebook is in trouble because of its data sharing deals. The government is already probing Mark Zuckerberg, so everyone is interested in the fate of Facebook. This criminal investigation was started over data-sharing deals with technology companies.

A grand jury of New York has summoned records from two prominent smartphone makers. These companies include Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon along with other 150 companies. Facebook was working into a partnership with these companies for granting them access to the personal details of millions of Facebook users.

Spokesperson of Facebook has confirmed that they are collaborating with the whole investigation. They have already provided answered questions, public testimony, and vowed that they would consistently do so. The investigation adds to the laundry list because the revelations of Cambridge Analytica placed a spotlight on the privacy and data practices of the company.

The investigations of the Securities & Exchange Commission, Justice Department, and the National Trade Commission have previously reported the same. In December, Washington DC sued Facebook for providing personal data of users to Cambridge Analytica without permission. The New York Times reported the data sharing deals in June 2018 and December 2018.

Crime Partners of Facebook

Facebook gave access to several companies, such as Amazon, Sony, Microsoft, Spotify and Netflix to the data of users. However, Facebook had stopped sharing data with third parties. Currently, the company is facing strong disputes for its data partnerships. These partnerships were violating the privacy of users and the 2012 settlement of the company with FTC. Initially, Facebook was silent for this matter. The services of the company are suffering outages across the globe without any explanation.

Europe is taking some significant steps to clamp down on big tech and Facebook. In the USA, policymakers are trying to work on complex regulations. The company is currently facing two scandals, such as fake news and Russian disinformation and data security and user privacy. There is a big question mark on the responsibility of Facebook in this situation.

Magnificent Federal Fine to Facebook

Federal agencies and Congress are considering different avenues to rein in social media platform, Facebook. Arguably, the biggest investigation is underway. The national trade commission is evaluating the possible misuse of personal details in Cambridge Analytica scandal. This scandal involved the data of 87 million users.

The settlement may require Facebook to give prominent and clear notice to consumers and obtain their consent before sharing their details. It barred the firm from making deceptive privacy claims in the future. Facebook may face harsh penalties for sharing data of its users without their consent.

Honest Ads Act

Congress is interested in forcing additional disclosure on the ads of Facebook. With the introduction of Honest Ads Act by Mark Warner (D-VA), John McCain (R-AZ) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), it is possible to regulate political advertisement. The purpose of these acts is to have control similar to print, radio, and television.

The Honest Ads Act might require social media platforms to disclose the groups running political campaigns and advertisements. They have to make reasonable attempts to ensure agents and foreign governments are not buying ads on these platforms. Zuckerberg supported this act in his Facebook post. Twitter also announced its unconditional support for this legislation. Mark Zuckerberg notified that Facebook would discriminate political ads with labels.

Impacts of Facebook Data Breach

The criminal investigation is continuing for the Facebook data breach. Unfortunately, it becomes a common practice for several online platforms. The current data breach of Facebook falls into a severe category. It can affect the growing number of Facebook users. It is suspected that Facebook may face a fine of multi-billion dollar for a data breach.

According to Mark Zuckerberg, he is ready to enhance the security of its users to earn more confidence. No doubt, Zuckerberg has pushed this platform to an influential, innovative, profitable and fast-growing company. People trust on Facebook as a mean of communication and socialization. Still, data breaches are unacceptable; therefore, prosecutors, regulators, and lawmakers have a long list of charges and queries for Facebook. The company is under criminal investigation for their data sharing. The FTC expects to toll its largest fine against Facebook in a few weeks. The penalty could be in billions of dollars.