Press Statement RE FTC Announcement on New Study into the Data Collection Practices of Nine Major Tech Platforms and Companies

Press Statement, Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) and Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), 12-14-20

Today, the Federal Trade Commission announced (link is external) it will use its to 6(b) authority to launch a major new study into the data collection practices of nine major tech platforms and companies: ByteDance (TikTok), Amazon, Discord, Facebook, Reddit, Snap, Twitter, WhatsApp and YouTube. The Commission’s study includes a section on children and teens.

In December, 2019, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) and their attorneys at Georgetown Law’s Institute for Public Representation urged the Commission to use its 6(b) authority to better understand how tech companies collect and use data from children. Twenty-seven consumer and child advocacy organizations joined that request.

Below are statements from CDD and CCFC on today’s announcement.

Josh Golin, Executive Director, CCFC: “We are extremely pleased that the FTC will be taking a hard look at how platforms like TikTok, Snap, and YouTube collect and use young people’s data. These 6(b) studies will provide a much-needed window into the opaque data practices that have a profound impact on young people’s wellbeing. This much-needed study will not only provide critical public education, but lay the groundwork for evidence-based policies that protect young people’s privacy and vulnerabilities when they use online services to connect, learn, and play.”

Jeff Chester, Executive Director, CDD: “The FTC is finally holding the social media and online video giants accountable, by requiring leading companies to reveal how they stealthily gather and use information that impacts our privacy and autonomy. It is especially important the commission is concerned about also protecting teens— who are the targets of a sophisticated and pervasive marketing system designed to influence their behaviors for monetization purposes.”

For questions, please contact:

jeff@democraticmedia.org (link sends e-mail)

Streaming Television Industry Conducting Vast Surveillance of Viewers, Targeting Them with Manipulative AI-driven Ad Tactics, Says New Report

Statement Regarding the FTC 6(b) Study on Data Practices of Social Media and Video Streaming Services

Press Statement RE FTC Announcement on New Study into the Data Collection Practices of Nine Major Tech Platforms and Companies

FTC Must Address Drivers of Dark Patterns - CDD's Katharina Kopp Speaks At FTC Workshop

Contextual Advertising—Now Driven by AI and Machine Learning—Requires Regulatory Review for Privacy and Marketing Fairness

The Whole World will Still be Watching You: Google & Digital Marketing Industry “Death-of-the-Cookie” Privacy Initiatives Require Scrutiny from Public Policymakers