Following the release of two prominent reports advancing the federal government's policy for online privacy, members of a House subcommittee on Thursday again took up consideration of whether new legislation is needed to protect consumers on the Internet.

The Federal Trade Commission this week released its final report on online consumer privacy that recommended implementing a universal "Do Not Track" standard, a centralized website for data brokers and more.

The Federal Trade Commission's final report on online consumer privacy can be summed up thusly: We've made progress but there's still a lot of work to do.

Unwanted pressure to buy protection services from credit reporting agencies and the inability to speak to a live person when reporting an identity theft situation were the two most annoying issues victims identified in a Federal Trade Commission report issued on the growing problem this week.

The Federal Trade Commission this week said it sent letters to six unidentified mobile applications makers warning them that their background screening apps may be violating federal statutes.