Online privacy battle brings gains, setbacks

[Commentary] As we approach this year's Data Privacy Day, some experts believe we've begun to see real momentum in the field, as consumers become more conscious of the issues and regulators beef up enforcement.

Not to say the battle is won and the legal questions settled, or that the proliferation of new threats has stalled. Far from it. But the increasingly common and aggressive use of online data seems to have shaken awake media, consumers, legislators and enforcers, who in turn have begun to draw deeper lines in the virtual sand. Most notably, the Federal Trade Commission slapped Google, Facebook and Twitter last year over assorted privacy failings in a series of first-of-their-kind settlements that included 10 to 20 years of privacy audits. The FTC has clearly signaled it intends to keep up the pressure this year and focus its gaze on mobile products and services, such as smart-phone applications.