What the government could actually do about Facebook

As Mark Zuckerberg appears before Congress, a look at what lawmakers can and can’t do about Facebook.

• Facebook could face a “breathtaking” federal fine: If the Federal Trade Commission finds Facebook did violate the 2011 agreement, it could be in deep trouble.
• Congress wants to force more disclosure on Facebook ads
• There’s a lot that could be on the table, but it’s not clear whether it will be: One possibility is broader legislation dealing with bots, perhaps modeled on the Better Online Ticket Sales Act (better known as the BOTS Act), a 2016 law meant to clamp down on ticket scalping and computer programs that sweep up large numbers of tickets in online sales. Another is stricter privacy standards. Another option would be to revisit Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a 1996 law that provides immunity from liability to online platforms for content generated by its users.