The leaked Facebook whistleblower files have triggered an FTC probe into whether the tech giant violated a $5 billion privacy settlement, a report says

• Facebook is the subject of a new Federal Trade Commission probe, sources told The Wall Street Journal.
• The probe was reportedly sparked by internal documents leaked by whistleblower Frances Haugen.
• The FTC is probing whether Facebook violated a $5 billion settlement with the agency, one source said.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched a probe into whether Facebook broke a massive settlement with the agency, sources told The Wall Street Journal.

Per The Journal, the probe was prompted by internal documents leaked by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.

One source told The Journal that the agency was looking into whether internal research documents showed the company violated a record-breaking $5 billion settlement it reached with the FTC in 2019 over user privacy.

The FTC has been in touch with Haugen's team, the Journal reported, citing a second source.

Facebook did not immediately respond when contacted by Insider. A Facebook spokesperson told The Journal the company is: "always ready to answer regulators' questions and will continue to cooperate with government inquiries."

The FTC declined to comment when contacted by The Journal.

This story is developing...