Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has to certify privacy protections for FTC settlement

Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the US Federal Trade Commission is planning to announce a settlement that requires Facebook to shell out $5 billion along with creating a dedicated board committee on privacy to ensure the safety of user’s privacy henceforth. It’s now being reported that the FTC wants the company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg to personally certify that the social media giant has privacy under its control. [caption id=“attachment_5926611” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”]  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Image: Reuters[/caption] Coming from a Wall Street Journal report, Zuckerberg will have to report to the FTC quarterly concerning Facebook’s steps to protect user privacy. With this certification, Zuckerberg has to comply with what he tells the FTC otherwise it will count as a false statement leading to potential penalties. Earlier, **_The Washington Post_ had reported** that the FTC will allege Facebook misled users about its handling of their phone numbers and its use of two-factor authentication as part of a wide-ranging complaint that accompanies a settlement ending the government’s privacy probe, citing two people familiar with the matter. The Post also reported the FTC also plans to allege Facebook provided insufficient information to about 30 million users about a facial recognition tool, an issue identified earlier by Consumer Reports. With inputs from Reuters.