US Senator Cantwell Asks FTC To Probe Meta’s Facebook

The chair of the US Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday asked a regulator to investigate whether Meta Platforms’ Facebook misled its advertising customers and the public about the reach of its advertisements, reported Reuters.

In a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan seen by Reuters, Senator Maria Cantwell said “evidence suggests that Facebook may have deceived its advertising customers about its brand safety and advertising metrics” and “may have engaged in deceptive practices.”

Cantwell added that “public information suggests that Facebook’s potential misrepresentations about brand safety and advertising metrics may be unfair, as well as deceptive.”

She said “a thorough investigation by the Commission and other enforcement agencies is paramount, not only because Facebook and its executives may have violated federal law, but because members of the public and businesses are entitled to know the facts regarding Facebook’s conduct.”

Cantwell cited a 2020 Senate report that Facebook reportedly controlled approximately 74% of the social media market.

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