Washington, DC -- The following is a statement from Laura Hatalsky, Chief of Staff at Open Markets Institute, in response to the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) grossly inadequate fine against Google and YouTube for collecting data from children without parental consent:

"We thought the FTC’s settlement with Facebook was insufficient but evidently the FTC is content to continue to let big tech corporations off the hook with yet another cave to their monopoly power.­ The FTC has shown time and again that it is unwilling to stand up to corporate monopolies despite some window-dressing type announcements. This latest fine is yet another example of their unwillingness to uphold their mandate. Congress should empower under-resourced state attorneys general to enforce the law." 

For more information: 

FTC’s $5 Billion Facebook Fine “Woefully Insufficient”; The Rule of Law Is In the Hands of State Attorneys General like D.C.’s Karl A. Racine
FTC’s Facebook Fine Fails the Public