Facebook gets private and launches instant messenger

Facebook has announced that it intends to beef up privacy controls and launch an instant messenger-style chat feature. The new privacy options mean users will now be able to choose how much information, including photos, that friends and "friends of friends" can see. The move makes sense given the number of stories that have circulated in the last year of employees and students who have lost jobs, been monitored or disciplined because of company's snooping Facebook profiles. Just last week the BBC's news director Helen Boaden said that new guidelines about what content staff could put on social networking websites were being introduced to protect the corporation's brand. Facebook is also launching a new chat feature that will work like an instant messenger service and be integrated with the current inbox email service that the website already offers. According to reports the chat service will be proprietary - Bebo has an instant messenger deal with Microsoft - meaning that users will only be able to chat with other Facebookers initially. Venturebeat argues that the developments, particularly the new privacy controls, indicate that Facebook is recognising it is growing way beyond its roots as a US-centric network for students. In fact just 32m of Facebook's global monthly unique user audience of 100m are now within the US.