EU sets privacy guidelines for social networking sites

The Wall Street Journal reports that EU regulators have laid out operating guidelines for social networking websites - like Facebook and MySpace - to ensure they comply with privacy laws. The privacy guidelines include: social networking sites should offer privacy-friendly default settings; users should be advised that pictures of people should only be uploaded with the individual's consent; sites must set maximum periods to retain data on inactive users; and abandoned accounts must be deleted. Facebook and MySpace said they were studying the EU guidelines to assess how to respond.