In today’s Quick Hits, we share a few different perspectives on Internet privacy, talk about a new Facebook feature, and explore how the U.S. intelligence community uses Google.

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Majority of American Adults Use Facebook

According to a new survey from Edison Research, “51 percent of all American adults age 12 and over have profiles on Facebook.” That’s a significant increase from 2008, when Edison tracked 8 percent usage rates among Facebook users. Facebook’s overwhelming growth as a social networking website has brought the issues of personal privacy and online reputation management to the forefront for millions of Internet users.

Testing Out Facebook Questions

Facebook recently rolled out a new question-and-answer feature. This article from PCWorld describes the feature and goes into detail on how it works, its relative privacy, and the best way to use it. One important aspect of Facebook’s Q&A feature is that the questions are not by default private. They are posted among your friends, who can then share them among their friends, until, conceivably, your question can be shared with all of Facebook (a distinct possibility if you ask a unique question).

Google Trends as a U.S. Intelligence Tool

In this interesting segment from NPR, two military experts offer insight into how the U.S. intelligence community uses something as simple as Google Trends to help take the pulse of a nation’s mood. In the report, West Point instructor Gabriel Koehler-Derrickoogle explains how Google Trends helped track information about the uprising in Egypt: “There are approximately 16 million Internet users in Egypt. Now, this is undoubtedly a demographic that is biased toward younger people. If you put Google’s market share at 10 percent, which I think is absurdly low, then that is 1.6 million users that we have essentially surveyed for 30 days.”

Student Charged With Harassment Over Fake Profile of High School Principal

An 18-year-old Houston man was charged with online harassment after creating a fake Facebook profile for his former high school principal. Unusually, the student used the account to interact with his own legitimate profile. According to local news, “the post starts on the fake profile with the principal appearing to taunt Rivera about what he has done since graduation. It then shows Rivera cursing at the principal and claiming that Rivera is sleeping with his wife.” The odd fictional back-and-forth could earn the man fine of up $2,000 and a jail term of up to 180 days.

Police Commander’s Column on Online Safety

In an interesting column, Aurora Police Commander Kristen Ziman writes about child safety online and why it is a parent’s responsibility to ensure that their children use the Internet responsibly. Ziman writes, “There is a fine line between being an informed parent and giving your children space. I try very hard to balance it so they can make and learn from their own mistakes in judgment while simultaneously protecting them from harm. As parents, it is our responsibility to be intrusive in our child’s lives — even if it they deem it unfair. Remember, you are their parent — not their friend.”

Miss Manners on Online Privacy

In an interesting column, Miss Manners answers the question, “Does one have a reasonable expectation of privacy while communicating online with a family member?” Describing the difference between how some young people consider privacy and how adults consider privacy, Miss Manners writes, “We now have a generation to whom the concept of privacy is bewildering. So, to a great extent, is the distinction between presenting oneself in public, as opposed to just slopping around. You will have to explain these concepts to your young relative, not only for your protection, but for hers. One by one, this generation is making the painful discovery that not everyone, in the wide world to which they expose themselves, finds them endearing.”