In today’s Quick Hits, a new study links Facebook and stress, one privacy expert worries about “Do Not Track” legislation, and several new scams hit the social web.

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Will Consumers Think Do Not Track Means Do Not Advertise?

Privacy expert Chris Hoofnagle, director of information privacy programs at the University of California at Berkeley’s Center for Law & Technology, wrote an interesting op-ed last week for TechPolicy.com. In it, Hoofnagle talks about potential problems that the FTC may have in enforcing “Do Not Track” privacy legislation. Hoofnagle makes the good point that many consumers thought “Do Not Call” was a failure because, while it stopped people from receiving sales calls, it didn’t stop people from receiving calls from politicians and non-profit organizations. Because of a failure to explain what kind of calls were filtered, the credibility of the effort was hurt. Hoofnagle argues the same thing could happen with “Do Not Track” if the word “track” is equated with the word “advertise.”

Reporter ‘Stroke’ Video Tied to Facebook Malware Scam

A video of a reporter having what appears to be a mini-stroke (her station said she’s fine) has become a viral hit on the Internet. While most people have been debating the health of the woman, others have decided to use the video’s popularity to stage a scam. AllFacebook.com is warning Facebook users to avoid clicking on an app titled “Reporter Stroke.” Facebook users who install the app will be exposed to malware which links users to a marketing survey.

Study Links Facebook and Increased Stress

Could having too many friends on Facebook be causing you stress? According to a study of 200 students by Dr. Kathy Charles of the Edinburgh Napier University, social pressure to be involved in Facebook and maintain a high level of contact with a high number of friends was shown to cause “considerable Facebook-related anxiety, with only very modest or tenuous rewards.”

New Jersey Police Chief Encourages Parents to Spy on Their Kids Online

Mahwah, New Jersey, Police Chief James Batelli had some strong words for parents in a recent news report. Advising parents to use spyware to monitor their children’s actions online, Batelli said, “”If it means buying an $80 package of software and putting it on and seeing some inappropriate words you don’t want your child to say. Then that’s part of society.” In a sense, Batelli is right. It is extremely important for parents to be aware of what their children are doing. However, transparency is also important. Kids who discover they are being spied on will likely craft better ways to hide their online actions, potentially making it harder for parents to intercede in the case of a reputation problem.

How To Filter Facebook Friends Without Deleting Them

Do you hate dealing with certain Facebook friends, but don’t want to take the step of deleting them completely? Business Insider offers some advice on how to filter out updates from Facebook friends without them knowing. If you’re worried about hurting someone’s feelings, these tips could be a useful way of deleting them without actually deleting them.

Head of Vermont National Guard Targeted in Facebook and Skype Scam

Major General Michael Dubie, the head of the Vermont National Guard, recently became the victim of an online impersonation scheme. According to Vermont Public Radio’s report, Dubie is “warning people across the world to beware that someone is using his name and photographs of him as part of Facebook and Skype frauds. The guard says at least three people – in Canada, Taiwan and Germany – have responded to pleas from someone they believed to be Major General Michael Dubie. A woman from Toronto tells the Associated Press she wired more than $3,000 to a London address believing she was helping Dubie pay to ship money to Canada from Iraq.”