the companies force people to make a “Faustian
bargain” to share their data in order to access
Google and Facebook services that have grown
to dominate the global public square.
“This ubiquitous surveillance has undermined
the very essence of the right to privacy,” the
report said, adding that the companies’ “use of
algorithmic systems to create and infer detailed
profiles on people interferes with our ability to
shape our own identities within a private sphere.”
Amnesty called on governments to legally
guarantee people’s right not to be tracked
by advertisers or other third parties. It called
current regulations — and the companies’ own
privacy-shielding measures — inadequate.
In a written five-page response published
with the report, Facebook disagreed with its
conclusion that the company’s business practices
“are inconsistent with human rights principles.”
Steve Satterfield, Facebook’s public policy
director, also disputed that the social media
behemoth’s business model is “surveillance-
based” and noted that users sign up voluntarily
for the service, which is nominally free although
data collected is used to sell ads.
“A person’s choice to use Facebook’s services,
and the way we collect, receive or use data
— all clearly disclosed and acknowledged by
users — cannot meaningfully be likened to the
involuntary (and often unlawful) government
surveillance” described in international human
rights law, the letter states.
Google did not offer an on-the-record response
to the report but disputed its findings. Amnesty
said the company provided input and publicly
available documents.