The report lays out how social media and video streaming companies harvest an enormous amount of Americans' personal data and monetize it to the tune of billions of dollars a year, FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a release. This underscores the extensive data collection and resulting profitable business model employed by these companies.
While lucrative for the companies, these surveillance practices can endanger people's privacy, threaten their freedoms, and expose them to a host of harms, from identity theft to stalking, Khan said. This highlights the serious risks faced by individuals as a result of these privacy violations.
Several firms' failure to adequately protect kids and teens online is especially troubling, Khan stated. This raises critical concerns about the safety of vulnerable groups within the digital landscape and the responsibilities of companies towards younger users.
We are disappointed with the FTC's continued characterization of the digital advertising industry as engaged in 'mass commercial surveillance,' IAB chief executive David Cohen said. This reflects the industry's stance and defense against claims that their practices are harmful.
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