Lawsuits may be key to tighter US data privacy rules

Significance

The move comes after Facebook suspended a UK political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, following allegations on March 18 that it improperly obtained personal data on 50 million Facebook users that was subsequently used in political campaigns. The incident has reignited the debates in the United States and elsewhere on online privacy, targeted messaging and whether tech firms are now too powerful to be left to regulate themselves.

Impacts

• First Amendment considerations will limit any efforts to control online political advertising in the United States.
• Accusations that Facebook facilitated foreign meddling in elections will dog it more than allegations of improper acquisitions of user data.
• Internal criticism of Facebook's practices by employees, former employees and investors may be greater agents for change than lawmakers.