Looming Facebook Fine Points to a Tougher Cop on the Tech Beat

The Federal Trade Commission’s coming resolution of its yearlong investigation of alleged privacy lapses at Facebook looms as a defining moment for US policy on consumer data, one with lasting ramifications for companies that collect it. A large penalty could serve as an important warning shot, particularly for tech firms that are already operating under FTC consent decrees from past missteps. Such companies face the possibility of large fines for repeat-offender violations. Perhaps more important, the new conditions the FTC imposes on Facebook’s future behavior could set privacy benchmarks for other companies.