It spawned a burst of privacy statutes in America and elsewhere.

ECONOMIST: The surveillance society | The

There is also the thorny question of how Facebook could comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in America, which was designed to protect children under 13 as they use the internet.

ECONOMIST: Small children are a big headache for the social network

Privacy laws are somewhat more common in Latin America, where countries such as Argentina and Chile boast relatively strict European-style regimes.

ECONOMIST: Legal confusion on internet privacy

In America Congress has begun debating a new privacy bill and the Federal Trade Commission is considering an overhaul of its rules.

ECONOMIST: Legal confusion on internet privacy

Many observers expect mobile telehealth to take off in mobile-loving South Korea and Japan, but to lag behind in America, where consumers are more likely to raise privacy concerns.

ECONOMIST: MONITOR

Despite its "don't be evil" mantra, the company has dropped off the list of the 20 most trusted companies in America, according to data released Monday by the privacy-focused Ponemon Institute.

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Their privacy troubles in 2009 may offer guidance for the future micro-celebrities of America.

FORBES: Five celebrity privacy lessons of 2009

And in the United States, the Electronic Privacy Information Centre, a non-profit group, has asked America's Federal Trade Commission to see if Facebook's approach to privacy violates consumer-protection laws.

ECONOMIST: Privacy and the internet