Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation applauds Senator Ted Cruz for his leadership in fighting to promote transparency in Big Tech. Yesterday, Senator Cruz sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan urging the FTC to expeditiously release its 6(b) privacy report on social media and video streaming services.
This report stems from orders issued more than 22 months ago, investigating how the largest social media and video streaming companies collect, use, and track personal information, how their products affect children, and more. Not only has this 6(b) report taken an atypically long time for release, but it coincides with the FTC’s August 2022 Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) on data security and privacy issues. The FTC extended its deadline for comment on the ANPR to November 21, 2022. It is crucial that this 6(b) report be made public before the ANRP comment deadline to sufficiently inform the discussion and subsequent decisions.
“It is in the public interest for the findings of these reports to be released, given hundreds of millions of Americans use the apps and services at the core of this investigation,” said Zach Whiting, policy director for Better Tech for Tomorrow. “Already, our technology policy initiative has uncovered information on data use and collection practices and the egregious harms social media causes to minors, indicating that the substance of this report will substantiate public concerns and the need for states to lead with sound public policy.”
To read the full letter from Senator Cruz, click here.