Web revolution sweeps Whitehall

By Brian Wheeler
Political reporter, BBC News

Work is under way to update departmental websites

Never mind the events in Downing Street. There is a revolution going on in cyberspace too.

Government web activity was frozen during the general election campaign but now that the new coalition Lib Dem/Conservative government is taking shape it has exploded into frenetic life. 

Mouse-wielding civil servants across Whitehall are engaged in a frantic rush to archive old pages full of defunct policies and pen portraits of now departed Labour ministers and to replace them with shiny new web pages that reflect the priorities and personalities of their new political masters. 

Facebook downplays privacy crisis meeting

By Maggie Shiels | Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

Facebook was started as a way for students to share information

Facebook has downplayed the significance of a company-wide meeting to discuss privacy issues.

The blogosphere described the meeting as a panic measure following weeks of criticism over the way it handles members' data. 

Several US senators have made public calls for Facebook to rethink its privacy safeguards. 

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, launched a petition directed at Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.