London — Facebook intentionally breached data privacy and competition law and should, with other big tech companies, be subject to a new regulator to protect democracy and citizens’ rights, British MPs say. In a damning report that singled out Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for what it said is a failure of leadership and personal responsibility, the British parliament’s digital, culture, media and sport committee said tech companies have proved ineffective in stopping harmful content on their platforms. This includes disinformation, attempts by foreign countries to influence elections, and risks to personal data. “We need a radical shift in the balance of power between the platforms and the people,” committee chair Damian Collins said. Collins said the age of inadequate self-regulation must end, following an 18-month investigation that concluded Facebook “intentionally and knowingly violated both data privacy and anticompetition laws”. “The rights of the citizen need to be established...

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