Facebook Gives Death a Makeover

Also: Site poised for $2B in revenue this year

(NEWSER) - Get ready for another Facebook update: Next week, the site will start rolling out new face-recognition technology for photos, the Huffington Post reports. It’s “comforting” to know that the service won’t be automatic, writes Larry Magid. If the site thinks it recognizes someone, it will ask you for confirmation. Ignore it, and no tagging takes place. Privacy settings won’t change—you’ll still be alerted when you’re tagged and able to remove any unwanted tags. More»

Racy pics, suicide threats get would-be cops dumped

(NEWSER) - Law enforcement agencies are probing potential recruits’ digital lives for information that might make them unfit for the job, USA Today reports. More than a third of police agencies look into applicants’ social media presence, says a new report conducted for police executives. Reviewing postings to sites like Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube, some agencies require applicants’ online passwords, or want to see their text-messaging and email records. More»

Documents show FBI friends suspects to mine information

(NEWSER) - Your next Facebook friend might well be a federal agent trying to bust you. That’s the gist of a Justice Department document obtained via the Freedom of Information Act by a privacy group. It reveals that FBI agents are mining social networks for info on suspects, ranging from alibi confirmation to suspicious photos. Watchdogs are wary. “It doesn't really discuss any mechanisms for accountability,” one tells the AP . More»

Said reporter posing as girl harassed by men

(NEWSER) - Posing as a 14-year-old girl on Facebook, a Daily Mail reporter was bombarded by messages from 20- to 40-year-old men wanting "to perform a sex act"—only it was really another social networking site, and Facebook is livid and threatening to sue over the misreported story . The author of the item, which appeared yesterday, said he was on another site and that editors added the mention against his wishes. Fine, says Facebook, but the paper was slow to respond and the damage is done. More»

The new controls are causing lots of embarrassment for people

(NEWSER) - In its quest to "simplify and enhance the privacy experience" on Facebook, the company appears to have stripped away key features forever, writes Ryan Tate writes on Gawker . Now, you can't:

• Hide group/page memberships: Thanks, FB, says one user who must decide whether to defriend grandma or let her in on a Queer Graduate Student Union affiliation.