Facebook Moves to Stomp Lamebook

Users changing profile pics to lookalike celebs violates TOS

(NEWSER) - The newest craze on Facebook is “Doppelganger Week,” wherein users change their profile pictures to those of celebrities—heck, even Muppets—that they resemble. Problem is, CNET notes, that violates the social networking site’s terms of service. “You will not post content or take any action on Facebook that infringes or violates someone else's rights,” the agreement reads. But the site doesn’t seem to be sweating it. More»

Michael Wolff points out that, in the end, Facebook is just an ad-driven site

(NEWSER) - "Facebook is not only on course to go bust, but will take the rest of the ad-supported Web with it." That's the bold statement Michael Wolff makes in the MIT Technology Review today, and he insists he's not exaggerating. In the end, Facebook is just another website selling ads, he explains, and online ad rates are constantly falling. "I don't know anyone in the ad-Web business who isn't engaged in a relentless, demoralizing, no-exit operation to realign costs with falling per-user revenues." More»

Feds want you to plan what happens to your online profile

(NEWSER) - Social networking has already changed our lives; now, officials want us to consider its implications after our death. On its blog, the US government is calling on Americans to create "social media wills," which detail our wishes for the future of the huge range of online accounts we all have these days. Email and Facebook are just the beginning: The average person has 25 password-protected accounts, a law professor tells Mashable . About half a million Facebook users reportedly died last year. More»

Olympics protected by stringent branding laws

(NEWSER) - The Olympics are headed to London this summer, but visitors and athletes alike better beware of what they post online, reports Mashable . London has passed legislation ahead of the games to penalize people who violate the games' official branding. Legally speaking, this would include:

• Athletes posting media of themselves with products that are not Olympics sponsors
• Fans uploading their own photos or video of the games
• Businesses attracting customers with official Olympics nomenclature, like "2012 Games"

Landmark ruling holds it responsible for copyrighted videos

(NEWSER) - Google is responsible for all the copyrighted content its users post on YouTube, a German court ruled today, in a landmark decision that could have massive implications for online content. The court ordered Google to remove all copyrighted clips brought to its attention, rejecting the web giant's argument that it merely provided the framework for users to post content, Reuters reports. More»