Facebook, facing potential fines for violating strict German privacy laws, agreed Monday to let users in the country better shield their e-mail contacts from unwanted advertisements and solicitations sent by the U.S. social networking site.

The company, which has more than 10 million users in Germany, agreed to modify its Friend Finder service to let Germans better block Facebook's ability to contact people, including non-Facebook users, who are culled from a user's e-mail address books.

Read the full New York Times story, “Facebook Makes Deal With German Privacy Watchdog