Facebook tweak means a bit more privacy to users
A controversial new Facebook feature has been tweaked so that users easily can disable it, the online social network company announced.
The ad program called Beacon has raised criticisms that it reveals more information about users than earlier described.
It would allow Facebook users to inform their friends what they’re doing and buying on other Web sites.
“We’ve made a lot of mistakes building this feature, but we’ve made even more with how we’ve handled them,” said Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, in announcing the change.
He said Facebook is releasing a privacy control to allow users to turn off Beacon completely, and he hopes “this new privacy control addresses any remaining issues we’ve heard about from you.”
Next, Papal wallpaper?
A Reuters news story reports that an Italian company now sends images of the saints to cell phone users.
As expected, the saints-on-your-cell innovation has raised the hackles of Italian Catholics. Some church leaders lashed the idea as crass and commercial.
“We found a need and filled it,” said Barbara Labate, who came up with the idea with her business partner in a cellphone services company based in Milan.
Many taxis, private cars and trucks in Italy have a small picture of a saint — known as a “santino” or little saint — taped to the dashboard. Many Italians also keep old “santini” in their wallets or handbags.
Labate said the catalogue will grow. The downloading service, done by sending a text message to a phone number, costs three euros ($4.42). The Web site is santiprotettori.com.
MySpace adds artist videos
Social networking site MySpace launched a new music program that provides exclusive video content from recording artists, according to an AP story.
The MySpace Transmissions site will also offer audio tracks that U.S. users can buy as well as a private recording session with artists and video question and answer segments.
The first artist featured is James Blunt, who recorded five songs exclusively for MySpace including “Same Mistake.” MySpace, a division of Fox Interactive Media Inc., said it will name additional artists participating with MySpace Transmissions in the coming weeks.