Dating app Grindr isn't responsible for activity by its users, a federal appeals court said this week.

Facebook, Google and other tech giants may soon have to disclose otherwise secret details of their data-handling practices to the Federal Trade Commission, Chairman Joseph Simons recently told the Senate.

In recent years, tech companies that played fast and loose with customers' data have faced lawsuits, civil investigations by the government, and even fines by the FTC.

If the bill also clears the House, Washington will join California in regulating companies' use of personal data.