> can a company which makes money as an advertising platform and data broker really protect the privacy of its users when that is directly at odds with its fund

> can a company which makes money as an advertising platform and data broker really protect the privacy of its users when that is directly at odds with its fundamental mission? It's not directly at odds with its fundamental mission. If FB violates the trust of its users and maybe even law, then they lose customers and revenue. It's important for them to respect privacy as much as it allows them to avoid controversy. For example, if a news story reported that FB violates privacy laws, and then they were sued for it, it would be a huge loss for them. Ultimately the real issue is that there are no laws concerning how social media users' data is protected. There are huge fines for leaking personal medical information, but only for medical instituons. This is effective, have you ever heard of a nurse that leaked std info about a celebrity? Similarly there are fines for leaks of data if a company can accept credit cards. However social media sites can store whatever information they want with no protections, and it's fine. To me, this is a tremendous oversight by the government to not protect the privacy.