“Simply staggering” surveillance conducted by social media and streaming services, FTC finds


The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a report that examines the data collection and use practices of major social media and video streaming services, finding that the companies engaged in vast surveillance of consumers in order to monetize their personal information while failing to adequately protect users online, especially children and teens.

The report, called A Look Behind the Scenes: Examining the Data Practices of Social Media and Video Streaming Services, is based on responses from nine companies to questions about how the companies collect, track, and use personal and demographic information, how they determine which ads and other content are shown to consumers.

Read more…
Source: Malwarebytes Labs


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • Spyware maker caught distributing malicious Android apps for years

    February 13, 2025

    Italian spyware maker SIO, known to sell its products to government customers, is behind a series of malicious Android apps that masquerade as WhatsApp and other popular apps but steal private data from a target’s device, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. Late last year, a security researcher shared three Android apps with TechCrunch, claiming they were likely ...

  • Italian government denies Paragon has cut spyware contract

    February 12, 2025

    Italy denied on Wednesday that Israeli spyware maker Paragon had cut ties with Rome following allegations that the Italian government had illegally used its technology to hack the phones of critics instead of criminals. “Paragon has never suspended the service and has not terminated its contract,” the cabinet undersecretary for intelligence matters, Alfredo Mantovano, told reporters. ...

  • Gambling firms are secretly sharing your data with Facebook

    February 12, 2025

    While you might think you’re hitting the jackpot, whether you’ve consented to it or not, online gambling sites are playing with your data. Users’ data, including details of webpages they visited and buttons they clicked, are being shared with Meta, Facebook’s parent company. The Observer reports that over 150 UK gambling websites have been extracting visitor ...

  • Spyware maker Paragon confirms US government is a customer

    February 4, 2025

    Israeli spyware maker Paragon Solutions confirmed to TechCrunch that it sells its products to the U.S. government and other unspecified allied countries. Paragon’s executive chairman John Fleming said in a statement to TechCrunch on Tuesday that “Paragon licenses its technology to a select group of global democracies — principally, the United States and its allies.” Fleming ...

  • 5 linked to cyber espionage ring arrested in Türkiye

    January 27, 2025

    Authorities arrested five people on cyber espionage charges through a software system uncovered thanks to information from the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Turkish media reported Monday. An investigation led by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in the capital, Ankara, discovered that a software program known as “Avatar” or “Adalet” (Turkish for “justice”), exclusively designed for attorneys, ...

  • Apple to pay $95 million to settle claims it used Siri to eavesdrop on customers

    January 2, 2025

    Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a civil lawsuit accusing the privacy-minded company of deploying its virtual assistant Siri to eavesdrop on people using its iPhone and other trendy devices. The proposed settlement filed Tuesday in an Oakland, California, federal court would resolve a 5-year-old lawsuit revolving around allegations that Apple surreptitiously activated ...