To no one's surprise, Facebook's latest privacy changes -- which openly encourage greater information sharing -- have failed to go unnoticed by its more than 350 million members, and the myriad media types, bloggers, privacy advocates, and analysts that scrutinize the social network's every move. Fast Company describes the changes as an "attempt to push users into public posts, disguised as a privacy overhaul to safeguard them instead." "Facebook's new 'privacy' settings are even more nefarious than they first appeared," writes ValleyWag. "The social network has formally nationalized your friends list, …

Microsoft researcher Danah Boyd sets out to debunk various stereotypes that silo Web users into several distinct categories, including "technology-baffled grannies," "pale-skinned gaming addicts," and young "digital natives." First off, "There's nothing native about young people's engagement with technology," insists Boyd, who has made a career out of studying the way younger people use the Web, and denounced the popular belief that kids are innately better at coping with the Web or negotiating the hurdles of digital life. "Young people are learning; they're learning about the social world around them," she says. "The social world around them today …

Amazon, which sells DVDs and streaming movies over the Web, has packaged them together in a two-for-one deal so consumers can now buy the disc and then watch the movie immediately on their PC. The "promotion," as MediaMemo calls it, is designed to boost disc sales -- which it says are "sputtering" -- while introducing shoppers to the company's Web streaming offering, which most people apparently don't even know about. As NewTeeVee speculates, the deal could prove particularly popular among, er, thrifty consumers who want to buy a disc for a friend but watch the movie themselves. The …

Google just launched its Chrome Extensions service, which grew from 300 to 480 browser add-ons overnight, and is expected to hit 500 by Thursday night. "And it's easy to see why," according to TechCrunch, which was present for a media presentation demonstrating the service's demonstrable ease of use. "The reason they're so easy to build is because they use the same technology that any Web developer will already be familiar with," writes TechCrunch. Notes a Google engineer, "Extensions are just Web pages." Also of note, Chrome extensions are expected to be working on the new Chrome for Mac …

YouTube-supported music video site Vevo got off to a rocky start this week, after repeatedly crashing under the weight of curious visitors. "It's the kind of embarrassment you'd think that Google, with its legions of engineers and countless data centers across the globe, could have avoided," writes an NBC Bay Area tech blog. "But perhaps that kind of snafu was inevitable once stodgy music labels like Universal and Sony got involved." Once the site finally got on its feet, blogger Owen Thomas concluded that consumers will most likely stick with YouTube, where Vevo also exists as a distinct …

Google just released the new version of its Mobile App on iTunes, including more search results on a page, and Web pages that open within the app and not in a new Safari window. Meanwhile, the Bells and Whistles feature is now easily accessible in settings, accompanied by a new "waveform" setting, which is really just "eye candy stuff," according to Search Engine Land. Also, Google voice search now has languages and accents. "One of the larger complaints about Google's voice search was that it had a hard time with accents," SEL writes. "I assume Google will continually …

Time was when Apple's iTunes existed in its own little ecommerce bubble, letting the Web's various content providers and platforms squabble amongst themselves for market share. Bringing that harmonious relationship to an abrupt end, however, Apple is considering an overhaul of the way it sells and stores music, which, according to The Wall Street Journal, "is aimed at extending its influence to the Web." "Apple is poised to totally change its iTunes business model with a increased focus on Internet-based content," adds the AppleInsider blog. The news is hardly a shocker …

Wanting in on the real-time renaissance, MySpace just announced a partnership with Google to deliver real-time status updates to the search experience. As of Wednesday, the once reigning social network is furthering its real-time efforts by announcing the public release of the real-time stream, status and mood commenting, open search and photo upload APIs. According to ReadWriteWeb, while MySpace can no long claim social supremacy, its offer to deliver real-time updates to developers is hardly trivial. Indeed, according to Chief Operating Officer Mike Jones, the company's stream consists of more than 46 million status updates and uploads per …

The success of Apple's iPhone has no doubt been hampered by the poor coverage of its exclusive carrier AT&T, and particularly in New York City and San Francisco. In response, the head of AT&T's wireless unit said Wednesday that it's working to improve its network for iPhone and other smart-phone subscribers in the two influencer-rich cities. Manhattan and San Francisco, particularly the city's financial district, "are performing at levels below our standards," admits Ralph de la Vega, chief executive of AT&T Mobility. The company said it expects to see gradual improvements in New York, and plans to replace …

According to Twitter, 50,000 apps have now been built around its white-hot micro-blogging service. By comparison, Apple recently reported that about 100,000 apps have been created for the iPhone. How important is the app community to Twitter? Ryan Sarver, Twitter's Director of Platform, says that nearly 50% of its traffic comes from apps. Therefore, Twitter says it will soon launch a new developer site, and extend the capabilities of the APIs already available. In early 2010, every developer will get access to the full "firehose" feed, all the data that Twitter manages at any given time. Presently, only …