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Privacy advocates cheered the Federal Trade Commission’s decision to revive its rarely used “penalty offense authority” against for-profit colleges that make misleading or deceptive claims, a move that shows the agency is expanding its enforcement options after the Supreme Court gutted its authority to seek monetary damages from companies that engage in illegal conduct.

Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA), senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, called on the Committee to subpoena documents from Facebook related to recent whistleblower complaints and testimony. “Frances Haugen courageously exposed what we've long suspected: Facebook has known the harm caused by their platform and has done nothing about it," stated Eshoo. "The Energy and Commerce Committee must subpoena all documents from Facebook related to Ms.

Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager, sat before a Senate subcommittee for more than three hours and described how the social media giant has prioritized its profits over public good. In her testimony, Haugen called on Congress to regulate Facebook and require more transparency from the company on its practices.

Facebook’s October 4 outages across its platforms and the company’s handling of it raise a far-reaching question: Should we simply rest content with a complete shutdown of service across four platforms, which underpin much of the planet’s economic and cultural interaction and one of which, WhatsApp, has become an essential and free substitute for phone calling and many other communications?

Reps Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Chair and Ranking Member of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced legislation to combat the online sale of stolen, counterfeit, and dangerous consumer products.

The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security convened a hearing to hear from former Facebook employee Frances Haugen. Recent Wall Street Journal investigations have revealed troubling insights regarding how Instagram affects teenagers, how it handles children onto the platform, and other consumer protection matters related to Facebook. In prepared testimony, Haugen said:

In August 2021, AMC+ landed what has become every streaming service’s holy grail: a coveted Verizon partnership. As part of a deal between the two companies, certain customers of Verizon’s broadband and unlimited phone plans are entitled to a free year of the AMC Networks streamer, featuring ad-free programming across its entertainment networks and early access to original shows. The giveaway offered a major marketing boost to the streaming service, which aims to clear 9 million subscribers by the end of 2021.

After the Senate’s session with Facebook global head of safety Antigone Davis on September 30, close observers think bipartisan outrage may finally be strong enough for Congress to crack down on Facebook and its peers. “Facebook has given lawmakers and regulators an invaluable political opening to begin restructuring how it can do business, in terms of research, advertising and data use,” said Jeff Chester, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Digital Democracy.

Sens Edward Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep Kathy Castor (D-FL) reintroduced the Kids Internet Design and Safety (KIDS) Act (S.2918) to stop online practices such as manipulative marketing, amplification of harmful content, and damaging design features, which threaten young people online.