The FTC is investigating data collection at YouTube, Facebook, and seven other companies

The Federal Trade Commission announced Monday that it is launching a new inquiry into the privacy practices of some of the largest tech companies and social media platforms in the world.

In a press release published Monday, the FTC announced that it is ordering nine social media and video streaming companies — including Amazon, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, Discord, Facebook, Reddit, Snap, Twitter, WhatsApp, and YouTube — to provide data on how they collect and use personal information provided by their users. The companies have 45 days to respond.

Each of the nine companies was contacted for comment but did not immediately respond to requests from The Verge.

The FTC’s orders were authorized as part of a wide-ranging investigative...

Continue reading…