Facebook facing 20-year consent agreement after privacy lapses: source

This April 25, 2019, photo shows the thumbs up Like logo on a sign at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes says it’s time to break up the social media behemoth. He says in a New York Times opinion piece that CEO Mark Zuckerberg has allowed a relentless focus on growth that crushed competitors “to sacrifice security and civility for clicks.” (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

WASHINGTON: The social media giant Facebook Inc is headed toward an agreement with the US government over its privacy policies and practices that would put it under 20 years of oversight, according to a source knowledgeable about the discussions.

The agreement would resolve a probe of whether the company violated a similar consent pact reached in 2011.