(Paul Sakuma, AP, File)A scathing British parliamentary report on Monday branded Facebook "digital gangsters" that knowingly violated data privacy and competition laws. Lawmakers' 18-month investigation into disinformation and "fake news" also accused Facebook of failing to faithfully fight Russia's alleged attempts to influence elections. "Companies like Facebook should not be allowed to behave like 'digital gangsters' in the online world, considering themselves to be ahead of and beyond the law," the report said. British media quoted a response from Facebook saying it shared the committee's concerns about fake news and election integrity. It also accused Facebook of offering Netflix and other popular apps preferential access to people's data even after it had tightened its privacy rules.

Source: News 24 February 19, 2019 03:22 UTC