FTC official: Sharing on social sites ‘can’t be forced’

Recent enforcement actions against Facebook and Google show the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is on track to safeguard consumer privacy in the era of social networking, an agency official said.

While FTC Commissioner Julie Brill acknowledged the networking sites are changing how people get information and interact, she said it’s important to remember that participation “can’t be forced.” It’s a “basic principle of the playroom,” Commissioner Brill said at a Broadband Breakfast Club event. Commissioner Brill pointed to a "trifecta" of enforcement actions the FTC has taken against Facebook, Google and Twitter as evidence the agency is moving aggressively to protect privacy. In the cases of Facebook and Google, the actions resulted in consent decrees that she said will be in place for two decades to ensure the companies only share and delete information with users’ consent.