A U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., agreed Thursday to expedite a lawsuit filed against the Federal Trade Commission for failing to review Google's recent decision to consolidate the privacy policies governing its Web sites and services.

Filed Wednesday by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, or EPIC, the suit contends that the new all-in-one privacy policy violates the terms of a prior settlement between Google and the FTC.

EPIC's lawyers asked the court to impose a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent Google's new policy from going into effect March 1.

EPIC Had Sued Over Google Buzz

Under the expedited rules, the FTC is required to respond to EPIC's latest briefs by Feb. 17. EPIC's reply is then due Feb. 21.

"The FTC has a non-discretionary obligation to enforce a final order," EPIC's lawyers wrote in a new brief. "But the agency has thus far failed to take any action regarding this matter, placing the privacy interests of literally hundreds of millions Internet users at grave risk."

Last year, EPIC contested several privacy aspects of the search-engine giant's plans for Google Buzz -- an online service that would have compiled and made public a Gmail user's social-networking list based on address book and Gchat list contacts.

In response, the FTC issued a consent order in October 2011, which EPIC's lawyers contend prevents "Google from misrepresenting the company's privacy practices, requires the company to obtain users' consent before disclosing personal data, and requires the company to develop and comply with a comprehensive privacy program."

Google Declines European Pause Request

Earlier this month, the Article 29 Working Party -- an independent European advisory body on data protection and privacy -- called on Google to pause its new privacy policy implementation plans.

"Given the wide range of services you offer, and popularity of...