Skip to content
  • MyNewMarkets.com
  • Claims Journal
  • Insurance Journal TV
  • Academy of Insurance
  • Carrier Management
Insurance Journal - Property Casualty Industry News

Featured Stories

  • State Farm Still Wants a 30% Rate Increase in California
  • 2024 P/C Combined Ratio Best in More Than a Decade
  • Articles
  • Jobs
  • Markets

Current Magazine

current magazine
  • Read Online
  • Subscribe
  • Login
  • Front Page
    • National
    • International
    • Most Popular
    • Magazine
    • Forums
    • Blogs
    • Videos/Podcasts
    • Newsletters
  • News
    • Most Popular
    • National
    • International
    • East
    • Midwest
    • South Central
    • Southeast
    • West
  • Magazines
  • Research
  • Directories
  • Jobs
  • Features
    • Events
    • Forums
    • Market Directories
    • Quotes
    • Polls
    • Rankings & Awards
    • Insurance Giving Back
  • Subscribe

How Much Do Facebook Users Really Care About Privacy?

By Supantha Mukherjee and Diane Bartz | April 29, 2019
Email This Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Article
  • 8 Comments

Facebook Inc. is preparing for a record-setting fine from U.S. regulators over privacy issues, but Wall Street shrugged at the looming penalty after the company added users and trounced profit expectations for the first quarter.

It has been just over a year since Facebook’s improper data sharing with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica launched probes on both sides of the Atlantic. That included a U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation into whether Facebook violated a 2011 agreement over user privacy.

Some companies pulled their ads off the social network and users tweeted #DeleteFacebook as they shut down their accounts. And investors knocked nearly $70 billion off Facebook’s market value in less than a month as executives admitted costs of fending off outright regulation would spiral.

But Facebook is now worth $40 billion more than it was right before the scandal erupted. Shares surged 6 percent on Thursday, the day after it disclosed a $3 billion litigation accrual in quarterly earnings that otherwise beat estimates.

“With each fresh scandal, commentators and politicians demand vague action and declare the end is nigh,” said Ben Marder, senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Edinburgh Business School.

“All this just solidifies Facebook as a shining example of ‘whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’. Figures show its users are generally happier now, following alterations to the algorithm to give them more ‘meaningful content’.

Facebook’s namesake app logged an 8 percent rise in users from the first quarter last year. The company raised its 2019 expense forecast, but the financial penalty itself prompted few concerns.

Some Worries

There were some worries from analysts about changes the FTC could potentially force as part of a settlement, however, and how new requirements might hurt ad targeting and revenue.

Facebook founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg in March said he was open to government oversight of social media, and in a blog post said Facebook’s future is in private messaging. The company is also working on a WhatsApp-based payments system.

Analysts appear to buy into Facebook’s vision, though it has not articulated how it will adapt its ad model. In the meantime, they said advertisers will still be drawn by its massive user base.

“While marketers may say privately that they do worry about Facebook’s problems with fake news, election meddling, privacy and more, they worry more about their own financial health, and Facebook is still a major partner in that regard,” eMarketer analyst Debra Aho Williamson said.

Facebook is also a global and diversified company. Its U.S. users have held relatively steady in recent quarters, but overseas markets fuel growth.

The company has said its Instagram app now has more than a billion users, versus Facebook’s 2.38 billion. There are also an estimated billion people on Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger.

One analyst characterized Facebook as a Swiss army knife with ad products that can now meet almost any advertising need. Industry estimates show only 25 percent to 30 percent of global advertising has migrated online.

“Along with Google, we expect Facebook to be a primary beneficiary of the about $600 billion global advertising industry’s secular shift from offline to online,” Baird Equity analysts said.

FTC Remedies?

Of course, regulatory risks remain and more bad headlines could turn off users, analysts said. Facebook has also grappled with scrutiny over how the platform was being used to promote extremism and spread misinformation.

There are also worries revenue from targeted ads could slow.

A settlement with the FTC could include remedies for the company that force it to change its business practices, privacy experts said. The FTC might require Facebook to collect less of the user data that it needs to target advertisements, for example.

David Vladeck, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection at the time of the 2011 consent agreement, said Facebook should be required to make sure its users agree to any data collection by third parties.

Having less data could knock two percent off overall revenue since Facebook would know less about its users and advertisers would pay less, Gene Munster of Loup Ventures estimated. Facebook had $55.8 billion in revenue last year

The company has set aside $3 billion to cover a settlement with U.S. regulators and warned that could rise to $5 billion. That would be largest civil penalty ever paid to the FTC.

Facebook generated more than $5 billion in free cash in the quarter and ended with $45 billion in cash. Revenue in the first quarter rose around to $15.1 billion, growing by roughly the size of the accrual.

(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Bengaluru and Diane Bartz in Washington)

Copyright 2025 Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Topics USA

Was this article valuable?

Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article.

Thank you! % of people found this article valuable. Please tell us what you liked about it.

Here are more articles you may enjoy.

US House Bill Reintroduced to Rid Federal Insurance Office of Subpoena Power
Central US Severe Weather Outbreak Caused Billions in Damages, AccuWeather Says
Driverless Trucking Firm Aurora Puts Human Back in Driver’s Seat
Hack of Contractor Was at Root of Massive Federal Data Breach

Written By Supantha Mukherjee

More From Author

Written By Diane Bartz

More From Author

The most important insurance news,
in your inbox every business day.

Get the insurance industry's trusted newsletter

Email This Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Categories: National NewsTopics: Cambridge Analytica, facebook, Facebook Privacy Litigation, Facebook user tracking, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), FTC Facebook, privacy regulation, social media privacy
  • Have a hot lead? Email us at newsdesk@insurancejournal.com

Latest Comments

  • May 3, 2019 at 1:26 pm
    Ugh... says:
    They have been fined for their actions. A record-setting fine to be more precise. What I have seen over and over on this website is the call to have the government intervene i... read more
  • May 3, 2019 at 7:40 am
    Polar BARReport says:
    So, apparently, 'your side' ignores criminal activities by businesses such as Fecesbook? The claim you make is that the government shouldn't intervene in tech companies is a S... read more
  • May 1, 2019 at 2:15 pm
    Augustine says:
    How much should they care? A lot... How much do they care? Obviously not that much seeing as if they did they would no longer qualify as "users."

Add a CommentSee All Comments (8)Add a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

More News
EEOC_SealAustin Bar to Pay $42K Over Pregnancy Discrimination Lawsuit
EU to Propose Removing Business Barriers to Enhance Competitiveness Amid US Tariffs
Former Progressive CEO Renwick, 69, Dies
Hack of Contractor Was at Root of Massive Federal Data Breach
More News Features

Read This Next

  • How Much Do Facebook Users Really Care About Privacy?
  • Lloyd's Has 'Laser Focus' on Oversight of Coverholders to Proactively Avoid Market Risk
  • Drivers Keep Shopping
  • New York School District Sues Two Insurers Over Coverage for Child Victim Claims
  • No NOAA Large-Disaster Data to Hurt Insurers' Grasp of Secondary Perils, Says AM Best

Insurance Jobs

  • Commercial and Privacy Counsel – Chicago, IL (Remote) - Chicago, IL
  • Auto Liability Technical Specialist - Centennial, CO
  • Early Career Trial Attorney (Remote – Bronx / Westchester area) - Tarrytown, NY
  • General Liability Claim Representative - Diamond Bar, CA
  • Commercial Lines Compliance – Surplus Tax Filings – REMOTE - Remote
MyNewMarkets
  • 5 Ways to Prepare for Healthcare Liability Changes in 2025
  • What's Next For Workers' Comp?
  • Soft D&O Market May Come to an End as Risk Complexities Rise
  • Exclusions: Active Assailant Coverage - Oh My!
  • 10 Things to Know About Insuring Boats & Marinas
Claims Journal
  • Court Says Google, AI Firm Must Face Mother's Lawsuit Over Suicide of Son
  • State Farm Still Wants a 30% Rate Increase in California
  • No NOAA Large-Disaster Data Could Hurt Insurer Grasp of Secondary Perils, Says AM Best
  • Marks & Spencer Says Cyberattack to Cost $403 Million
  • APCIA Says Record Shows 'Minimal Complaints' on Hurricane Milton, Helene Claims
Academy of Insurance education
  • May 22 Commercial Property: Five Bombs and How to Defuse Them
  • June 5 E&O and Hard Markets: How Trying to Keep a Client Might Cause Trouble
  • June 12 Rating AI Tools: Balancing Functionality and Security
  • June 19 Can You Hear Me? Yes, I Am Listening!

Insurance News

  • News by Region
  • News by Topic
  • Yesterday

Site Search

Features

  • Insurance Markets Directory
  • Forums
  • A.M. Best Company Ratings
  • Industry Events
  • Agencies For Sale
  • Newswire
  • Insurance Jobs
  • Rankings & Awards

Connect with us

  • Email Newsletters
  • Magazine Subscriptions
  • For Your Website
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Do Not Sell My Info

Insurance Journal

  • Submit News
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Reprints
  • Link to Us
  • Contact Us

Wells Media Group Network

  • Insurance Journal
  • MyNewMarkets.com
  • Claims Journal
  • Insurance Journal TV
  • Academy of Insurance
  • Carrier Management
© 2025 by Wells Media Group, Inc. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Site Map