Sen. Brian Schatz Brian Emanuel SchatzCDC causes new storm by pulling coronavirus guidance Overnight Health Care: CDC pulls revised guidance on coronavirus | Government watchdog finds supply shortages are harming US response | As virus pummels US, Europe sees its own spike Video of Lindsey Graham arguing against nominating a Supreme Court justice in an election year goes viral MORE (D-Hawaii) on Tuesday cited a bombshell New York Times report about Facebook providing access to users' data to other companies in order to revive calls for a federal privacy law.

"It has never been more clear. We need a federal privacy law. They are never going to volunteer to do the right thing. The [Federal Trade Commission] FTC needs to be empowered to oversee big tech," Schatz tweeted.

It has never been more clear. We need a federal privacy law. They are never going to volunteer to do the right thing. The FTC needs to be empowered to oversee big tech. — Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) December 18, 2018

The senator confirmed in a separate tweet that his comment came after reading a New York Times story that revealed the social media giant granted major tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon and Netflix previously undisclosed access to users' personal data.

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The news outlet cited interviews with dozens of former employees and hundreds of documents from the social media platform that showed the company allowed Microsoft's Bing search engine to view the names of Facebook users' friends without consent, allowed Netflix and Spotify to read users' private messages and allowed Amazon to obtain users' names and contact information.

Facebook's director of privacy and public policy, Steve Satterfield, told The Hill in a statement that none of the arrangements violated users' privacy agreements, or a deal between Facebook and the FTC.

A Netflix spokesman said that the company did not access people's private messages at any point, nor did it ask for the ability to do so.

Schatz noted on Twitter that, under current law, the FTC only has the authority to fine companies if a consent decree is violated. He suggested that the agency should be given rulemaking authority and more enforcement capabilities.

Right now it only have the authority to fine if a consent decree is violated. It should have first fine authority and specific new statutory language to enforce regarding privacy - and it must be given rulemaking authority. — Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) December 18, 2018

The Hawaii senator has been among the most outspoken lawmakers in pushing for a federal privacy law. Schatz's Data Care Act would impose a fiduciary responsibility on any company that collects internet user data to protect that information and not use it in a way that harms the user, and it would give the FTC broader powers.

Tuesday's report comes as Facebook has grappled with controversy after controversy over the past two years for its handling of users' privacy and of misinformation campaigns aimed at disrupting the 2016 election.

Updated Dec. 19 at 1:23 p.m.