Sen. Ted Cruz is demanding that the Federal Trade Commission release its report on privacy regarding social media and streaming platforms.
According to the Daily Wire, Cruz, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, sent a letter to the FTC seeking the report after waiting 22 months.
“I write urging the expeditious release of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) 6(b) privacy report on social media and video streaming services, no later than November 14, 2022,” Cruz wrote in the letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan.
“The FTC’s social media investigation has now taken over 22 months, which should be more than enough time for the FTC to complete its work and publish a report on its findings,” he added.
Cruz’s letter comes as the agency is set to announce new privacy rules for online businesses, as the comment period for the pending regulations ends on Nov. 21, according to the Texas Republican.
The letter comes as the FTC is expected to soon announce new privacy rules for online businesses, with the comment period for the new regulations ending on November 21, according to Cruz’s statement.
“The social media and video streaming investigation was initiated in December 2020,” Cruz wrote.
The agency’s investigators requested information from social media and e-tailer behemoths like Amazon, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, asking how they collect information and track personal data, how ads are determined, whether those companies apply algorithms and data analytics to privacy, how user engagement is measured, and how children and teens are impacted by company practices.
In the letter, the Senator states:
“The social media and video streaming investigation was initiated in December 2020, when the FTC issued orders to Amazon.com, Inc., ByteDance Ltd. (operator of TikTok), Discord Inc., Facebook, Inc., Reddit, Inc., Snap Inc., Twitter, Inc., WhatsApp Inc., and YouTube LLC requesting the relevant information. Specifically, the FTC orders sought information related to:
(i) how these companies collect, use, track, estimate, or derive personal and demographic information;
(ii) how they determine which ads and other content are shown to consumers;
(iii) whether they apply algorithms or data analytics to personal information;
(iv) how they measure, promote, and research user engagement; and
(v) how their practices affect children and teens.”
“Moreover, Congress and state legislatures have considered numerous bipartisan bills related to each of the five 6(b) orders. Certainly, the elected representatives of the people—and more importantly, the American people—would benefit from the findings of this investigation to craft sound public policy,” he wrote.
“Thus, it is imperative the report is released immediately to provide the public and interested parties alike an opportunity to comment on the ANPRM, and to supply members of Congress and state legislators with vital information in advance of the 118th Congress and upcoming state legislative sessions,” he added.
