Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by saltedonion 1771 days ago
Not sure why you’re downvoted. But sadly this is true. Fb knows it is financially better off to pay the fine than change their operations. It just goes to show how capitalistic the US really is and how tolerant this country is towards unprecedented market power. No way it will fly in the EU. And that is why there is no FB in the EU.
1 comments

The $5B fine comes with a lot of enforced changes to the company's operations: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/07/ftc-i...

Though it does tend to have fewer regulations than the EU, the claim that this settlement has resulted in no operational changes does not appear to be true.

I read the linked PR--I am curious to see if these restrictions really protect consumers. My cynical side imagines these restrictions were written with input from FB and that they will find ways around them. But I'm cautiously hopeful.
There was almost certainly some negotiation- it’s a voluntary agreement. But if they can’t or won’t hold themselves to it the FTC and the courts can and will enforce it and that 5B could easily become far bigger.