Social Networking, Privacy Violation | featured news

A federal judge ruled that Twitter must give information to the Justice Department about three of its account holders who are under investigation for their links to WikiLeaks.

Facebook’s use of software that enables it to track users’ online activity after they log off of the social-networking site came under scrutiny in Washington this week, with lawmakers and consumer advocacy groups demanding a federal investigation.

Users and privacy advocates have expressed concerns about Facebook’s planned redesign, the way the change will affect third-party apps and the network’s general approach to privacy. Third-party apps will be fully integrated into a user’s profile page, with updates about activity on each app. That means that users won’t actively click to share updates from apps — the apps will add that information to a user’s page automatically.

Google agreed to settle an FTC complaint that it used "deceptive tactics and violated its own privacy promises" with the launch of its social network, Google Buzz, which automatically shared information in Gmail address books.

Privately held microblogging service Twitter has agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over charges that it put customers privacy at risk by failing to safeguard their personal information.