"The FTC is firmly and fully committed to using all of its tools to protect the privacy of consumers… The FTC takes very seriously recent press reports raising substantial concerns about the privacy practices of Facebook. Today, the FTC is confirming that it has an open non-public investigation into these practices," the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection Acting Director Tom Pahl said in a press release.
In wake of a week of privacy scandals, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is now examining Facebook to see if the company engaged in "unfair acts" which have to "substantial injury" to its customers.
Earlier, Facebook said in a statement that the company remains "strongly committed" to protect people's information and that it welcomes the opportunity to answer the FTC's questions.
READ MORE: New US Lawsuit Accuses Facebook of Massive Fraud in Data Mining Operation
Last week, it turned out that the personal information of about 50 million Facebook users had been obtained without their consent or permission by data mining firm Cambridge Analytica, which allegedly worked for Donald Trump's presidential campaign and the Brexit campaign, with an eye to creating a mechanism that would allow it to predict and influence voters' behavior.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly apologized for the "breach of trust," promising to make sure "this doesn't happen again."
