The settlement with the FTC gives Facebook a clear path forward to continue growing it $56 billion USD advertising machine. The $5 billion fine "makes for a good headline", but the terms and conditions, including blanket immunity for Facebook executives and no real restraints on Facebook’s business model, do not fix the core problems that led to these violations. What is not mentioned in the popular press are the dissenting opinions by Commissioner Chopra and Commissioner Slaughter that give insight into those core problems including: pay-for-play data harvesting by developers and its core behavioral advertising model.
The case against Facebook is about more than just privacy and security – it is also about the power to control and manipulate people.
