google buzz

Google has agreed to a privacy program -- including independent audits, but no monetary fees -- to settle Federal Trade Commission privacy charges around its Buzz service. Consumer protection groups say the deal isn't strong enough to lead to widespread change.

Forecasting which technologies will succeed is always hazardous, but it proved especially difficult in 2010, a year full of surprises -- and also several disappointments. Facebook blew away even the most optimistic expectations for the year. Google Buzz? Not so much.

Google plans to pay out an $8.5 million settlement as part of a privacy class action lawsuit against its Gmail Buzz feature, the Internet giant said Tuesday.

Google's earnings came in below expectations, and its stock got pummelled. But there are many positive factors -- from Chrome and Android to its smart acquisitions -- that will help Google remain dominant in the future.

No time for tweets? Yahoo hopes to solve that dilemma by integrating Twitter into its websites in an effort to boost the appeal of its online offerings. What does this mean for you? Say you are checking out Yahoo news. You will soon be able to see short, 140-character messages, or "Tweets,"...

A digital privacy group has filed a complaint with the feds over Google's new social networking product, saying the search giant's use of private email contacts to build a public online community violated federal consumer protection laws. Google said it has already made changes to "Buzz" and has more in the works.

Web giant Google unveiled a new social-networking product called Google Buzz, but initial reactions to this souped-up version of its Gmail service were not positive. Some wonder whether Google's new offering may be too little, too late to stem the explosive growth of Facebook and Twitter.