Surfing the internet, playing games and hanging out on social networks are important for teen development, a large study of online use has revealed. The report counters the stereotypical view held by many parents and teachers that such activity is a waste of time. More than 800 teenagers and parents took part in the three-year US project.

Source: BBC

The government is drawing up plans to give the police and security and intelligence agencies new powers to access personal data held by internet services, including social network sites such as Facebook and Bebo and gaming networks. The move, heralded in this morning’s speech on international terrorism by Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, is prompted by concern that criminals and terrorists are using websites as a way of concealing their communications, according to Whitehall security sources.

Source: The Guardian

Internet users will be protected from abusive bloggers and malicious Facebook postings under proposals to set up an independent internet watchdog … The body, made up of industry representatives, would be responsible for drawing up guidelines that social networking sites, the blogosphere, website owners and search engines would be expected to follow.

Source: Nicole Martin writing for The Telegraph (via Tony’s Blog)

Via Deutsche Welle:

“The big problem with social networks is that you don’t know just who can poke around in there,” says Henry Krasemann, an expert at the Independent Centre for Data Protection for Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, Germany … that’s why data protection specialists recommend storing as little private information as possible online.

“Under no circumstances should you be putting bikini or party photos up onto a network of that kind,” says Constanze Kurz, spokeswoman for the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) in Berlin.