Introduction
Instagram, one of the most popular social media platforms for teens and young adults, has been fined $400 million by US regulators for mishandling child data. The fines come as a result of a 2014 investigation into how Instagram used user data to target ads and ad campaigns to children. Instagram is also being fined for not properly encrypting user data.
US Government
The US government’s decision to fine Instagram comes after years of complaints from users about how the platform was using their personal information. In March 2018, Instagram announced that it would be implementing new privacy policies in order to protect user data. However, the company still faces many regulatory problems, including being fined $500 million by the European Union over misuse of personal data.
The fine is the largest ever given to a social media platform for such data breaches. The social media platform Facebook is also facing charges for allegedly sharing data with a political research group called Cambridge Analytica. The company received fines from the US and EU governments after it had been accused of not properly protecting user data.
Instagram, the photo and video storage platform, has agreed to cooperate with the DOJ’s order requiring it to stop collecting and using user data of children under the age of 13. In a letter to users on Friday, Instagram said it would make changes to its practices in order to comply.
DOJ order
The DOJ order was issued in March after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced his intent to crack down on child exploitation on social media platforms like Instagram. Instagram had been violating the terms of that order by collecting and using user data of children under 13 without their permission.
In response to the DOJ order, Instagram had promised to stop violating users’ privacy rights and make changes to its policies so that user data collected from young people under 17 will be limited and only used for “authorized purposes.
Instagram App Security
Instagram has been fined $400 million by the US Department of Justice for unlawfully sharing child data with Facebook. The company agreed to restrict its data practices and set up a system to monitor user activity. The DOJ’s complaint also said that Instagram had failed to protect users’ privacy and that millions of people had their personal information shared without their permission.
The Instagram app, which is used by an estimated 400 million people worldwide, maintained that it complied with the terms of its agreements and did not violate the law.
Facebook Vs Twitter
Facebook and Twitter were fined $400 million and $200 million, respectively, Wednesday for taking sims without the parents’ consent. Instagram was also fined $100 million. The fines are a warning to social media platforms that must take steps to prevent children from using their platforms to share child-friendly content.
Facebook had 2.2 billion active users as of June 30, 2018, while Twitter had 1.5 billion active users as of that date. Facebook and Twitter are both owned by Facebook parent company, Mark Zuckerberg. Instagram is owned by Instagram parent company, Facebook’s WhatsApp subsidiary, and is used by about 5% of all Facebook users.
