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Facebook’s use of software that enables it to track users’ online activity after they log off of the social-networking site came under scrutiny in Washington this week, with lawmakers and consumer advocacy groups demanding a federal investigation.

Users and privacy advocates have expressed concerns about Facebook’s planned redesign, the way the change will affect third-party apps and the network’s general approach to privacy. Third-party apps will be fully integrated into a user’s profile page, with updates about activity on each app. That means that users won’t actively click to share updates from apps — the apps will add that information to a user’s page automatically.

Here we go again. Facebook has made big changes to users' pages, and people are responding in droves with their metaphorical "dislike" buttons. News Feeds were popping with not-so-gentle complaints Wednesday as many of the social-networking behemoth's 750 million users began seeing the overhaul.

Facebook is looking to hire a big-name executive to cultivate relationships and strike deals with the film and music industries to bolster its media offerings.

People with accounts on both Facebook and Twitter have been able to update them both simultaneously for a long time -- but from Twitter to Facebook, and not the other way around. That’s about to change.

As the biggest social network across the Internet, Facebook has a lot of people to reach. And the current usage evidence shows that people really want to let their friends what's going on even when they're not near a computer so that means mobile devices. The result: Facebook has plans for its own smartphones in the ...

Zynga offers free games through Facebook, then studies data on how its audience plays them. It uses its findings to fiddle with the games to get people to play longer, tell more Facebook friends about them and buy more virtual goods.

When it comes to spreading popular content around the web, where you post matters. A study that link-shortening service Bit.ly released on its blog Tuesday shows that different kinds of links rise and fizzle at different speeds — depending on the platform they are posted on.

A small but important Facebook flaw lets Page admins boot the creator of the original Page from admin status, effectively hijacking the Page

Whether you've using the Internet or a cell phone (smart or dumb), here's how you can track Hurricane Irene, access the American Red Cross through Facebook and Twitter, schedule news alerts, connect with others and find loved ones.