• The Register, Monday, June 27, 2011 12:02 PM

Last month, Facebook surpassed Microsoft in the UK for the first time ever, while both sites continue to trail Google. In May, Facebook claimed the second spot by notching up 26.8 million visitors, The Register reports, citing data from UKOM/Nielsen. That bested Microsoft's 26.2 million users during the month, which divided their time between MSN, Windows Live and Bing.

"Google remained comfortably ahead of the pack, with 33.9 million UK visitors in May," The Register writes. "Meanwhile, worldwide usage of Facebook has reportedly shot up -- even as around 6 million Americans recently unplugged themselves from the dominant social network. Facebook has yet to officially confirm that it now has 750 million users globally.

Earlier this month, data suggested that that around 100,000 UK Facebook users had actually quit the service. That finding, put out by Inside Facebook's premium Gold service, prompted Facebook to challenge about the growth slump report. As The Register notes, however, Facebook has yet to offer up any contrary stats of its own.

Read the whole story at The Register »