FTC finalizes privacy settlement with Facebook

NEW YORK — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted Friday to finalize its settlement with Facebook, resolving charges that the social network exposed details about users' lives without getting the required legal consent.

Facebook agreed to submit to government audits of its privacy practices every other year for the next two decades. The company also committed to getting explicit approval from users before changing the types of content it makes public.

The settlement, announced in November, is similar to agreements the FTC reached separately with Google and Myspace.

The FTC approved the settlement Friday after a public-comment period. It came a day after the FTC fined Google $22.5 million to resolve allegations that Google didn't comply with the earlier settlement. more

Twitter Sued for Hosting Fake Page

Cardinal’s manager Tony La Russa sued Twitter last month in a California state court in San Francisco. La Russa’s suit alleges that Twitter allowed a user to maintain a page under his name without his permission. He complains that many posts were vulgar and included off-color statements about Darryl Kile and Josh Hancock, two Cardinals who died during La Russa's tenure.

La Russa argues in his complaint that the impersonation was “derogatory and demeaning,” and damaged to his brand. He seeks unspecified damages and that the page be shut down. For more coverage, click here.