News Byte

FTC Said to Be Looking at Google+

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is expanding its antitrust investigation into Google to include Google+, Bloomberg reports. It’s a timely issue because Google+ was just deeply integrated into Google search this week, causing Twitter, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and others to call foul. The FTC declined to comment.

Ireland Gives Facebook’s International Privacy and Data Protection a Passing Grade

The Irish Data Protection Commission today concluded that Facebook has “a positive approach and commitment” to protecting the privacy of its international users.
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Facebook’s Social Ad Strategy Suffers Legal Blow

In a ruling that could have significant implications for Facebook’s business, a district court judge has denied Facebook’s request to throw out a lawsuit by users upset about being featured in its advertisements.
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Carrier IQ: We Volunteered to Be Grilled by the Feds

The mobile analytics company says if there’s an official FTC investigation, it doesn’t know about it.
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Hey Facebook, Where’s That Timeline and Open Graph You Promised?

Two and a half months after Facebook promised that a huge revision of its self-expression and sharing tools were coming soon, users and developers are still waiting.
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The Apologies of Zuckerberg: A Retrospective

Of the 25 posts CEO Mark Zuckerberg has published on Facebook’s corporate blog in the past five years — including today’s acknowledging a long-term privacy settlement with the FTC — I count 10 that were written to address complaints.
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Facebook Settles With the FTC for 20 Years of Privacy Audits

Facebook has agreed to 20 years of privacy audits in response to complaints by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that it unfairly deceived users about the privacy of their personal information.
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Facebook, FTC Near Privacy Settlement

Facebook Inc. is finalizing a proposed settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over charges that it engaged in deceptive behavior when changing its privacy settings, according to people familiar with the situation.

Google Calls Justice Department Second Request on Motorola Deal “Pretty Routine” (If Four Percent Is Routine)

The acquisitive search giant plays the odds again in Washington, D.C., with handset purchase.
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FTC’s Proposed Changes to Web Privacy Rules Give Parents More Control

The Federal Trade Commission wants to give parents more control over what information Web sites can collect about their children.

Google to FTC: Bring It On