A former Justice lawyer and antitrust expert says Facebook’s purchase of photo-sharing site Instagram will take between 4 months and one year to clear regulatory hurdles. In the meantime, the deal is effectively on hold. Read More »
Tech
Facebook has settled with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that it has been deceptive about the amount of privacy users have on the social networking site. The company has also given two executives the title of “Chief Privacy Officer” to oversee its privacy commitments. Read More »
It’s been obvious for awhile now that Google has a lot riding on the success of its new social network, Google+. But some comments from senior exec Brad Horowitz make it clear that Google’s new platform will become part of everything the web giant touches. Read More »
Google’s purchase of Zagat is a small deal, but the ripples it creates could be much larger — the purchase takes Google even further into the area of content ownership, and that could give “search neutrality” advocates and the FTC more ammunition against the company. Read More »
There’s been a lot of sound and fury about Google and its handling of Google+ branded pages, but there is a serious issue underneath the griping, namely that Google can make or break a company’s presence online by virtue of its control over the web-search market. Read More »
According to a news report on Thursday, the Federal Trade Commission is looking into Twitter’s business practices. Although that doesn’t mean Twitter is under official investigation, it means the company’s behavior must have raised enough critical flags to catch the regulator’s attention, which is rarely good. Read More »
Google says it has received a letter from the FTC about an investigation, but maintains in a blog post that it’s just trying to serve users the best way it knows how. Will this Little Orphan Annie act fly with the feds? Unlikely. Read More »
The FTC is said to be close to opening an official antitrust inquiry into Google, which would put the search giant right where Microsoft was in the late 1990s — and even if it ultimately wins, the fight could have long-term effects on its ability to … Read More »
In what could be a larger push by the federal government to stem the sharing of personal online information, a federal grand jury has served internet radio provider Pandora with a subpoena looking into the practices of information sharing on mobile apps. Read More »
UPDATED: In an apparent attempt to quell concerns from parents, regulators and legislators, Apple has moved to require password entry on every iOS in-app purchase, closing a 15-minute grace period that some children used to inadvertently rack up pricey charges of virtual goods. Read More »
We are all concerned about online privacy, but not enough to do much about it, according to a new survey. Which raises the question: browsers like Firefox, Chrome and IE9 are adding support for a “Do Not Track” feature, but will anyone actually use it? Read More »
With the federal government pushing for better Do Not Track tools for online users, browser makers are stepping up with solutions aimed at helping users avoid behavioral targeting. But it’s more of a symbolic act at this point that won’t mean a huge change in privacy. Read More »
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