More questions than answers in this article.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/08/tech/fbi-facebook-instagram-twitter-data/index.html

FBI wants to monitor Facebook and Instagram for domestic threats in real time

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has quietly been searching for private contractors who could gather and feed to law enforcement tremendous amounts of user data straight from social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The U.S. government needs "real-time access to a full range of social media exchanges" to better fight terrorist groups and domestic threats, the FBI said in its request for bids, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

But the FBI's effort to gain far-reaching visibility into the social media activities of both Americans and foreigners risks clashing with other parts of the federal government that have sought to clamp down on Silicon Valley for data breaches, privacy violations, and other cases in which user information was shared without consent.

… Civil liberties advocates warned that the contract could be easily abused.

"This proposal invites dragnet surveillance that history shows will disproportionately harm immigrants, communities of color, and activists, and it invites profit-seeking firms to violate Facebook and Twitter rules designed to keep users safe," said Matt Cagle, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.

… A Twitter spokesperson said the company's terms for third parties prohibit developers from "allowing law enforcement — or any other entity — to use Twitter data for surveillance purposes. Period."

...which is a very polite way of saying they can’t do it.

https://teachprivacy.com/the-ftc-can-rise-to-the-privacy-challenge/

The FTC Can Rise to the Privacy Challenge, but Not Without Help From Congress

Over at Lawfare, I have an essay co-authored by Chris Hoofnagle and Woodrow Hartzog called The FTC Can Rise to the Privacy Challenge, but Not Without Help From Congress. This piece is also posted at the Brooking Institution’s TechTank. The essay begins:

Facebook’s recent settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reignited debate over whether the agency is up to the task of protecting privacy. Many people, including some skeptics of the FTC’s ability to rein in Silicon Valley, lauded the settlement, or at least parts of it.