Senator Markey: Facebook Responses About Children's Online Privacy Leave Families Unprotected

Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) released the following statement after Facebook provided responses to questions posed by Sen Markey in the wake of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica privacy breach. In his questions, Sen Markey asked Facebook to commit to not include advertising in children’s offerings and to commit to not share children’s information for targeted advertisements, once young users turn 13. “Our youngest and most vulnerable Americans should be able to navigate the digital world without being bombarded by advertisements at every turn,” said Sen Markey, House author of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). “I am disappointed that Facebook once again refuses to promise that it will never include advertising in Messenger Kids, an offering specifically targeted to children ages 12 and under. It is equally concerning that while Facebook has stated it will not ‘automatically’ share kids’ data with advertisers when users turn 13, the company stops short of declaring that it won’t share this data at all, automatically or otherwise. Companies like Facebook should not be able to cash in on children or teen’s personal information.”