Busted: Rep. Barton Supports FTC Settlement Against App Operator Accused of Privacy Violations

Statement

Rep. Barton (TX-06) released the following statement after learning the FTC settled a case with a social networking company accused of deceiving consumers and improperly collecting personal information from users' mobile address books.

The settlement requires the operator of Path, a social networking app, to establish a comprehensive privacy program and to obtain independent privacy assessments every other year for the next 20 years. The company will also pay $800,000 to settle charges that it illegally collected personal information from children without their parents' consent.

"Once again the FTC has determined that another company has not only violated its own privacy policies, but also took advantage of children. How many more times does this need to happen before my colleagues in Congress are convinced to act?

"I am appreciative of the steps that have been taken by the industry, but it is simply not enough. Thankfully, the FTC Act gives the agency the authority to hold companies to their own privacy policies. If we didn't have this law, there would be absolutely no accountability. Every company should have a privacy policy and adhere to it."

To learn more about the FTC's settlement visit click here.

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