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Facebook and the Federal Trade Commission are close to finalizing a settlement over deceptive practices related to several Facebook features, including its privacy settings, according to a report by the New York Times.
As part of the settlement with the FTC, Facebook would first need to get user permission before making something public that one of its users had originally shared only privately on the site. In addition, Facebook would also agree to privacy audits over the next 20 years.
But the FTC is not requiring that Facebook ask users if they want to opt in to all of the site's features that share information with other users, including future sharing functions or settings.
The New York Times sources spoke anonymously, because the FTC settlement is not yet final.
In late September, U.S. lawmakers and consumer groups filed two separate petitions with the FTC, asking the regulatory agency to open a probe into the social-networking giant. At that time, the petitions came on the heels of recent changes to the Facebook website. Both users and online advocates were critical of how many of the changes affected user privacy on the site.
F.T.C. Said to Be Near Facebook Privacy Deal [New York Times]
—Maggie Shader
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