Facebook Settles Over Privacy Deception Charges
The FTC charged that the social network told people they could keep the information they share private, then allowed it to be made public.
The charges go back to 2009, when Facebook changed its privacy settings to make public information that users may have deemed private. This included their list of friends, for example.
The FTC says the settlement now requires Facebook to get people's approval before changing how it shares their data.
In a blog post, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company has made a "bunch of mistakes." But he adds that this has often overshadowed the good work Facebook has done. He says Facebook has addressed many of the FTC's concerns already.
Facebook will not pay anything to settle the case, although future violations could lead to civil fines.
Zuckerberg said Facebook has created two new executive positions--a chief privacy officer of products and a chief privacy officer of policy in response to the settlement.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
