U.S. Federal Trade Commission - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Facebook goes through corporate reorg

  Facebook confirmed Thursday that it has launched a corporate reorganization around its product development.

• Facebook disables bug used to expose Zuckerberg photos

  A Facebook bug came back to haunt the company's co-founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.

• DOJ investigating e-book pricing, official says

  The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating anticompetitive behavior in the pricing of e-books, joining the European Union, the head of the agency's antitrust division said Wednesday.

• Privacy groups generally cheer FTC's Facebook settlement

  Privacy and technology groups generally applauded a wide-ranging settlement between Facebook and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over the social-networking site's privacy practices.

• Facebook settles FTC privacy complaints

  Facebook has agreed to settle US Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived consumers "on numerous occasions" by telling them they could keep their personal information private, then repeatedly sharing that information, the agency said Tuesday.

• W3C releases draft online privacy standards

  The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has released the first draft of two standards intended to protect the privacy of Web users and allow them to opt out of Web tracking systems.

• Facebook: No comment on privacy settlement with the FTC

  Facebook on Thursday declined to comment on a news report that it is nearing a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over concerns about changes in its privacy policy.

• FTC settles privacy complaint against online ad network

  Online video advertising network ScanScout has agreed to settle U.S. Federal Trade Commission charges that it wrongly claimed that consumers could opt out of receiving targeted ads by changing their computer's browser settings to block cookies.

• Regulators to Web startups: Prioritize privacy protection

  Internet companies need to build consumer privacy and data controls into their online services to protect their brands, gain trust from their users, avoid civil lawsuits and prevent government probes, according to two regulators from the U.S. and Canada.

• What completed Skype-Microsoft deal could mean for consumers

  Microsoft announced today that it has mostly wrapped up its acquisition of the Internet communications company Skype. The $8.5 billion deal has received approval from the major regulators, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the European Union, although a few holdouts remain--Russia, Ukraine, Serbia and Taiwan--which are expected to fall into line shortly.

• FTC: P-to-P software shared personal info from smartphones

  Peer-to-peer software developer Frostwire has agreed to settle U.S. Federal Trade Commission charges that its software would likely cause users to unknowingly share sensitive personal files, including pictures, from their Android devices, the FTC said Tuesday.

• Lawmakers want investigation of supercookies

  Two U.S. lawmakers have called on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to investigate the use of so-called supercookies on many websites, with the two suggesting that use of the hard-to-remove tracking tools may be an unfair business practice.

• FTC targets mortgage and debt relief websites

  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has asked a court to shut down websites that falsely suggested they were federal consumer assistance agencies or affiliated with government agencies focused on mortgage or debt relief, the agency said Thursday.

• FTC: No, your smartphone can't heal acne

  Smartphones can help you record video clips, compose music and find the nearest Ethiopian restaurant, but they can't cure acne, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said.

• Internet clothing seller charged with wire fraud

  The owner of a defunct online clothing retail operation has been arrested and charged with wire fraud for allegedly overcharging customers by more than US$5 million.