Topix.com agrees to improve consumer protections on its news website in deal with 34 states

Topix news website drops comment review fee

OMAHA, Neb. — The online news collecting company Topix has tweaked its website and dropped a $19.99 fee it charged for faster reviews of inappropriate forum posts as part of a settlement with 34 states.

Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning announced the changes the Palo Alto, Calif., company had agreed to make on Monday.

Bruning says he’s pleased the company agreed to eliminate the fee it charged to speed up reviews of obscene or abusive posts on Topix.com.

Topix promised to review all abuse reports free and try to do so within three working days. The website also eliminated an option to flag posts that confused some users.

Topix CEO Chris Tolles says agreeing to the settlement was the easiest way to resolve the dispute and eliminate any fairness concerns.

Online:

Nebraska Attorney General: www.ago.ne.gov

Topix.com: www.topix.com