A quieter week for Facebook news. Is it possible the media’s interest is waning?

Facebook use costing firms US$12 billion a year

InfoSecurity Europe look at how much Facebook usage at work really costs businesses when you add it up. The companies they surveyed estimated that 15-20% of their Internet usage was taken up by traffic to social networking sites.
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Facebook Mobile

Nokia are said to be looking at a strategic investment in Facebook, and are already in talks to integrate a mobile version of Facebook into some of their handsets. Facebook is already available via mobile browsers, but I guess they are talking about something more integrated into the operating system of the phone. Imagine getting your Facebook messages in the same inbox as your text messages, for example.

Facebook Hunts for Executive Chef

Google apparently offer free gourmet food in their Silicon Valley offices, and now Facebook are looking for an Executive Chef:

The Executive Chef is responsible for the leadership of the kitchen by managing and overseeing the activities of the entire kitchen as well as menu development and food quality through purchasing organic products, multi-cultural cuisine, kosher foods, etc. This position is also responsible for recipes including menu item presentation, lunch, corporate, and catering events. He/She is expected to maintain high standards by establishing food specifications and adhering to those specifications via recipes, portion control, presentation, safety and sanitation. This position is full-time and located in Downtown Palo Alto.

Apply here for the role

Facebook questioned over data protection

There has been much talk of the inability to delete your data from Facebook. You can close your account, but the data is still sitting on the Facebook servers. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK has started an enquiry into this and intend to question Facebook on their data storage and privacy policies.

Facebook insisted that its data protection policies were “in full compliance with UK date protection law”.

This is interesting as privacy laws vary from country to country, and it is going to be difficult to try to maintain a generic application and still comply with local legislation. The question of who owns and controls the data on free online services has yet to be fully determined.
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Is Facebook Evil? I don’t think so

New Zealand Herald journalist Peter Griffin has leapt to the defense of Facebook on his blog after coverage in the local Sunday paper which was a reprint of a Guardian article from earlier in the month. Peter suggests this rule for Facebook usage:

don’t post anything to the internet unless you’d be happy having it on the front page of the Herald.

I agree.
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If you are Amy Winehouse the rule should be:

Don’t let someone video you smoking crack, unless you want it posted on the web.