• Reuters, Friday, July 20, 2007 11 AM

Social networking sensation Facebook on Thursday acquired a Web startup named Parakey, a platform its creators say "bridges the gap between information on the Web and the desktop." There are almost no details on the company's Web site--as the product has yet to launch--but the idea behind Parakey (or so it seems) is to create a closed network or intranet that links desktop and Web information. "Computers are frustrating. Creating documents, finding files, sharing information -- why do everyday things still seem so tedious and counterintuitive?" the company's Web site says.

How does this fit in with Facebook? Part of the social networking giant's appeal is the control it gives users over who sees what personal details. Parakey could enhance the networking capabilities of business users by allowing certain users, like fellow employees or clients, access to certain data sets-all in a customizable manner. It could also be used to exchange closed-door information between family and friends.

Parakey founders Blake Ross and Joe Hewitt also created Mozilla's Firefox, the popular Web browser alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which has now been downloaded more than 300 million times.

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