Facebook private message rumour is 'false', site says

A rumour that Facebook users' private messages were appearing on public timelines is false, the firm has said.

Some users, mostly in France, reported that "private messages" sent between 2007-2009 were suddenly public.
However, Facebook told the BBC: "[The] messages were older wall posts that had always been visible on the users' profile pages.
Separately, Facebook shares fell up to 11% after an influential journal said the stock is worth just $15.
On the messaging rumour, the social network said: "Facebook is satisfied that there has been no breach of user privacy."
Another source at the company told the BBC that engineers said there was "no way" the two areas of data could get mixed up.

Private material

The source said that "no mechanism" had ever been created that would allow a private message to be published onto a user's wall or timeline.
Similar rumours surfaced and were investigated in 2011, the source said, but after "extensive investigation" they were proven to be untrue.
Despite Facebook's statement, many users reported finding what they believed to be old private material.
"There are messages I've got on my wall that are most definitely private messages! From 2006 all the way up to 2012," wrote Poppy Dinsey, owner of fashion social network What I Wore Today.
"I'm 100% sure by content and from memory. And also some posts on my wall were clearly beginnings of (private) group [messages]."
Meanwhile, Facebook shares were under pressure after the US financial publication Barron's said the stock is worth perhaps only $15 a share, well below the $38-a-share flotation price.
On Wall Street, the shares ended down 9.1% to $20.79, having fallen more than 11% earlier in the day.
Barron's said: "Facebook's 40% plunge from its initial public offering price of $38 in May has millions of investors asking a single question: Is the stock a buy?
"The short answer is 'No.' What are the shares worth? Perhaps only $15," Barron's said.

Facebook surpasses one billion users as it tempts new markets

Facebook's next billion?

The world's biggest social network says it now has over a billion active monthly users. But anxious investors are asking where will its next billion users come from? And the billion after that?

While Facebook is firmly established in the western social media world, it still lags behind in Asia and another continent, key growth markets to satisfy its hungry investors and shareholders.

Facebook now has more than one billion people using it every month, the company has said.

The passing of the milestone was announced by founder Mark Zuckerberg on US television on Thursday.

The company said that those billion users were to date responsible for 1.13 trillion "likes", 219 billion photos and 17 billion location check-ins.

The site, which was launched in 2004, is now looking towards emerging markets to build its user base further.

"If you're reading this: thank you for giving me and my little team the honor of serving you," Mr Zuckerberg wrote in a status update.

"Helping a billion people connect is amazing, humbling and by far the thing I am most proud of in my life"

Statistics released to coincide with the announcement revealed there were now 600 million users accessing the site via a mobile device - up 48 million from 552 million in June this year.

Since its early beginnings at Harvard University, Facebook users have befriended each other 140.3 billion times.

Sustained growth is seen as crucial if Facebook is to maintain its value - the company has seen its share price drop to about $22 (£17) from a starting price of $38.

Investors will expect the company to look at ways to make more from the users it already has as well as seeking to attract new users in areas of the world where it does not yet dominate.

"For Facebook the main challenge is not just to grow in terms of numbers, but more importantly to deepen and enrich engagements," said Eden Zoller, principal analyst at tech research firm Ovum.

TV chat show

Although the service is by far the world's biggest social network, there are key areas, such as China and Russia, where local competitors still remain the online networking tool of choice.

Last month, Mr Zuckerberg visited Moscow, where he made his first TV chat show appearance, as well as a highly publicised meeting with the Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev.

It was a public-relations exercise designed to unsettle VKontakte - a network that boasts in excess of 100 million members, compared with Facebook's seven million, in the country.

In the same trip, Mr Zuckerberg made a "surprise" visit to one of the company's arranged hack-a-thons to meet local developers.

Other trips include to China, where the company said it was busy "watching and learning" from other internet firms.

Google, which launched in China in 2005, faced fierce criticism when it agreed to allow censorship of search results. It later changed its stance, and now directs all of its traffic through its Hong Kong-based site.

Facebook at one billion:

• Median user age: 22
• Top countries (alphabetical order): Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, United States
• Mobile users: 600 million

At 500 million (July 2010):

• Median user age: 23
• Top countries: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, United States
• Users who joined the site at this point now have an average of 305 friends

At 100 million (August 2008):

• Median user age: 23
• Top countries: Chile, France, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States
• Users who joined the site at this point now have an average of 334 friends

At 50 million (October 2007):

• Median user age: 26
• Top countries: Australia, Canada, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States
• Users who joined the site at this point now have an average of 321 friends

At 25 million (January 2006):

• Median user age: 19
• Top countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, United States
• Users who joined the site at this point now have an average of 598 friends

Facebook privacy changes recommended by Irish watchdog

Facebook has been given six months to improve its privacy policy by the Irish data protection commissioner.

Commissioner Billy Hawkes recommended that the social networking site introduce widespread changes, including clearer terms and conditions and more user freedom concerning data usage.

Facebook Ireland has been responsible for all of the company's data outside of North America since September last year, BBC News reports.

"This was a challenging engagement both for my office and for Facebook Ireland. The audit has found a positive approach and commitment on the part of FB-I [Facebook Ireland] to respecting the privacy rights of its users," said Hawkes.

Facebook welcomed the commissioner's feedback and pledged to implement the requested measures. "We are pleased that the report demonstrates how Facebook adheres to European data protection principles and complies with Irish law," read a statement for the firm.

"Of course, the report highlights some areas where we can improve and reach best practice."

Last month the US Federal Trade Commission said that Facebook was guilty of "unfair and deceptive" practices concerning changes made to its privacy settings in 2009.

Why Soccer Dominates Facebook Status Updates

While the U.S. accounts for about a quarter of Facebook’s 800 million users, American sports teams and athletes had a smaller showing on the list of the top status update themes this year.
Only one of the top ten teams mentioned in status updates is from the U.S., the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. The rest were soccer teams.
And only three of the top ten athletes are from the U.S., basketball’s Michael Jordan plus Kobe Bryant wrestler John Cena.
While I recognize how popular soccer is across the world, it still caught me a bit off guard to see this since all I hear about, both on ESPN and on my news feed, is the NFL’s Tim Tebow and the NBA.
I don’t fully understand why soccer is so huge in other parts of the world, but I don’t think that’s really the point here.
The more important thing to take from this is how easy it can bne to lose sight of just how global Facebook is, which these findings should help put in perspective.
Does this data also suggest that that soccer fans are more passionate about their favorite sport than others? Readers, what do you think? While we’re at it, after the Lakers, Jordan, Bryant and Cena, which U.S. teams and athletes ought to rank in the top status update themes for the year?

Top 10 Sports Teams

FC Barcelona
Real Madrid C.F.
Manchester United
Los Angeles Lakers
Chelsea Football Club
Liverpool FC
A.C. Milan
Arsenal
Galatasaray
Fenerbahçe

Top 10 Athletes

Leo Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo
John Cena
Ricardo Kaka
David Beckham
Michael Jordan
Sachin Tendulkar
Andres Iniesta
Kobe Bryant
Cesc Fàbregas
Guest writer Jeff Weiner is president and chief executive officer of ESBL Sports Management, where he coaches 15 NFL athletes on how to best utilize social media.