NY Times: Facebook To Settle With FTC On Privacy Issues

Ready To Settle

THE NEW YORK TIMES reports, "FACEBOOK and THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION are nearing a settlement over deceptive practices related to several FACEBOOK features, including its privacy settings, according to two people briefed on the settlement."

In SEPTEMBER (NET NEWS 9/28), ALL ACCESS reported that less than a week after MARK ZUCKERBERG introduced the new FACEBOOK look, media and blog world reactions ranged from legitimate concern for a lack of privacy to near-paranoia. The implications for radio and the music business are deep. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL noted that FACEBOOK was on the defensive, justifying its practice of gathering data from "Like" buttons even after users have logged out. They asserted that such data collection "is part of a system to prevent improper log-ins and that the information is quickly deleted not all of the data is logged."

Under this new agreement, "FACEBOOK would agree to privacy audits for 20 years, one of the people said. It would also prohibit FACEBOOK from making public a piece of information that a user had originally shared privately on the site without express permission," writes THE TIMES.

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