In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about bold new Internet privacy legislation and why you should be careful about opening virtual Valentine’s Day presents on Facebook.

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South Carolina Moves to Crack Down on Facebook Use Among Prisoners

One South Carolina lawmaker is taking action to prevent prisoners from taunting their victims or continuing to organize criminal activities via Facebook. According to  Reuters, “Representative Wendell Gilliard, a Democrat from Charleston, has introduced a bill that would make it unlawful for an inmate to be a member of any internet social-networking site, and would provide a penalty on conviction for the offense.” The penalty would be “30 extra days behind bars and a $500 fine” for each offense.

Players on High School Hockey Team Punished for Facebook Post

Four players on the high school girls hockey team in Stillwater, Minnesota were suspended for a game after posting a photo on Facebook of a stuffed bear, wearing the No. 34, hanging from a noose with the caption “Another successful bear hunt.” During a recent game against White Bear Lake, a player wearing the number 34 suffered a knee injury. While this is a uniquely local story, it demonstrates an interesting reality of the Internet age. In the past, if this picture were on a polaroid, perhaps the girls would have gotten away with a warning about bad sportsmanship. By posting it on Facebook, however, they endangered the reputation of the whole team and their school.

Valentine’s Day Prompts Numerous Cyberscams

A report from the Sophos Naked Security blog details how cybercriminals are using Valentine’s Day as a way to trick users into onnline scams on Facebook and other social networking websites. According to Graham Cluley, “Facebook users are being tricked into clicking on messages that they believe their online friends have posted, saying who their Valentine will be in 2011 or how to put a heart or love poem on their sweetheart’s wall.” If you receive a Valentine’s Day greeting on your Facebook profile this year, be careful about clicking any suspicious looking links and be on high alert when installing applications.

California State Supreme Court Rules that Retailers Can’t Ask Patrons for Zip Codes

The California State Supreme Court has ruled that under a state consumer privacy law, California retailers may not ask patrons for their Zip Codes when they choose to pay by credit card. The case is significant because it may be the first time a court has declared a Zip Code to be personally identifiable information, which may affect how the Internet tracking debate unfolds.

Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and a noted expert in online privacy issues, explained why the ruling was an important victory for privacy rights, saying, “The court recognized the realities of databases today. Bits and pieces of personal information that when they stand alone may not have much meaning when combined can realize a lot about an individual.”

‘Do Not Track’ Legislation Introduced in Congress

A press release from Consumer Watchdog talks about new “landmark” privacy legislation from Representative Jackie Speier. Quoting the press release, “‘Do Not Track Me’ legislation introduced in Congress today by Rep. Jackie Speier, D-CA, will let consumers block unwanted tracking of their information online…The bill authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to enact and enforce regulations that would give consumers a right to block companies from tracking their activities as they use the Internet.” The press release cites multiple surveys indicating a growing desire for privacy protections, including a recent USA Today/Gallup survey on the subject.