2018's Cambridge Analytica scandal resulted in a massive data breach of over 87 million Facebook users. According to a new lawsuit, the United States’ Federal Trade Commission was poised to sue CEO Mark Zuckerberg for the breach. However, the FTC was reportedly paid off.
Did Facebook pay off the FTC?
Reported by Politico, the social media giant allegedly overpaid the FTC by $5 billion. The massive overspend is described as a “quid pro quo” agreement to protect Mark Zuckerberg against litigation. On top of the secret $5 billion payment, the company also paid its initial fine of £106 million for the data breach.
The Federal Trade Commission has never officially announced plans to sue CEO Mark Zuckerberg. However, the alleged deal between the two parties could have been a precautionary payment to keep Zuckerberg in favour.
The lawsuit reads:
“Zuckerberg, Sandberg, and other Facebook directors agreed to authorize a multi-billion settlement with the FTC as an express quid pro quo to protect Zuckerberg from being named in the FTC’s complaint, made subject to personal liability, or even required to sit for a deposition.”
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Zuckerberg complaints continue
The FTC lawsuit comes amongst a collection of Zuckerberg reports. Recently, the Facebook CEO was accused of making a deal with former president Donald Trump. The supposed deal would allow the Trump administration to spread misinformation and far-right rhetoric from sites like Breitbart. In exchange, Facebook would receive less sanctions.
Zuckerberg’s actions don't stop there. Despite the alleged $5 billion payment for the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the FTC is fighting against Facebook. The Federal Trade Commission is gearing up for its second lawsuit against the company under accusations of monopoly.
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