In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about why you shouldn’t use Facebook while you’re in a jury, how geo-location services could be the next big thing, and what a free market economist thinks of privacy regulations.

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Juror Removed from Trial Over Facebook Post

A Detroit-area judge removed a juror from a trial after defense attorneys pointed out a comment on the woman’s Facebook wall claiming that the defendant was guilty before the end of the trial. The woman wrote that it was “gonna be fun to tell the defendant they’re guilty.” The offending remark was discovered by the defense attorney’s son who works in his mother’s law office. He was doing Google searches for the members of the jury pool. It is possible that the juror may be found guilty of contempt of court for her actions.

Facebook Tied to Narcissism in Small Psychological Study

Mashable recently reported the results of a small survey of 100 college students, which showed that “young people with narcissistic personality traits were shown to exhibit Facebook activity that was distinctly more self-promotional.” The study specifically cited “About Me” sections that referred to the individual’s intelligence and photos that “were more about displaying the user’s physical attractiveness than about capturing memories with friends.” Given the subjectiveness of these qualifications, it would be a stretch to say that Facebook is for narcissists, but there are some interesting correlations.

Services Help People Disconnect from Social Media

If social media has taught us anything, it’s that people like being connected. But not everyone wants to be connected 24/7. That’s why a number of services have popped up in recent months that allow social media users to mute, block, or manage their Twitter followers and Facebook friends. This article from the Washington Post highlights some of the most popular of these services.

Geo-Location Services Still Await Wide Adoption

With the emergence of Facebook Places, geo-location services looks like they’re set to become the next big thing in social networking. They’re not there yet though. According to Forrester Research, “4 percent of Americans have tried location-based services, and 1 percent use them weekly.” This article from the New York Times discusses some of the obstacles faced by geo-location services, chief among them being the issue of privacy.

Paul Rubin: Ten Fallacies About Web Privacy

In today’s Wall Street Journal, Paul Rubin, an Economics professor from Emory University, discusses “Ten Fallacies About Web Privacy.” Rubin approaches the subject from a free market perspective, arguing that overly stringent privacy regulations are a detriment to the economy and hurt consumers. It is an argument that we have heard before, and we don’t entirely agree with, but Rubin argues his points well and the op-ed is definitely worth reading.