According to a report released by the FTC, these companies and many other platforms have failed to provide sufficient transparency and controls over how user data is collected, shared, and used, including in systems that integrate artificial intelligence.
The FTC report covers not only Meta, TikTok, and Twitch, but also other platforms like Google's YouTube, social network X (formerly Twitter), Snap, Discord, and Reddit.
While the report analyzed these companies, the findings were largely anonymous and did not reveal specific details about each platform. The FTC pointed out that many social media companies have serious shortcomings in their data storage and management policies.
A spokesperson for X disputed the report, saying it was based on practices from 2020, before the social network's overhaul. The spokesperson stressed that X has always taken user privacy seriously and made sure users knew what data was being collected and how it was being used. Meanwhile, other companies, including Meta and TikTok, have yet to officially respond to the FTC's criticism.
The FTC has pointed out that social media companies collect data through a variety of tools, including tracking technology used in online advertising, buying information from data brokers, and other methods. While these surveillance activities bring huge profits to the companies, they can endanger users’ privacy, threaten individual liberties, and expose them to risks ranging from identity theft to stalking.
In addition to collecting data about how users interact with their services, most of the companies reviewed collected information about users’ age and gender or inferred other information, according to the FTC report. Some companies also collected data about users’ income, education, and family status. Notably, these companies also collected information about people who did not use their services, and some companies did not even fully disclose how they collected and used the data.
