In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about Internet privacy legislation, whether kids under 13 should be allowed on Facebook, and a certain piece of malware that Mac users need to watch out for.

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Larry Magid: Facebook Should Welcome Kids Under 13

Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently turned some heads when he said that he wanted kids under the age of 13 to join Facebook, but he has at least one notable child safety advocate behind him. Currently the federal child protection law COPPA prohibits children under the age of 13 from joining websites like Facebook, although there are still tens of thousands of Facebook users under that age anyway. In an op-ed for the Huffington Post, Tech writer and Internet safety expert Larry Magid talks about the high number of teens already on Facebook and why it might make more sense for the company to develop special safeguards for under-13 users then to have to try and simply block them from the site entirely.

Bogus Video Link of Ex-IMF Boss Spreads Malware

There once was a time when having a Mac computer ensured users that they wouldn’t have to worry about Internet viruses and other forms of malware. Unfortunately, with the widespread adoption of Macs, more and more Mac-specific threats are emerging and social media websites like Facebook and Twitter are the perfect vehicles to share them. This article from MSNBC describes a new Mac-focused malware attack spreading across Facebook. Quoting the article, “A video is currently working its way around Facebook claiming to have “‘really freaky’ footage of Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulting a hotel maid.” When users click the video, they are prompted to install the bogus MacDefender malware. As a rule, if you spot any messages promising lurid videos based on current events in your Facebook stream, avoid them at all costs.

Op-Ed: Facebook Post-Divorce

In a thoughtful personal op-ed for the Huffington Post, Adam Paul writes about how he and his ex-wife decided to “unfriend” each other on Facebook following their divorce. After three years, Paul thought it might be okay to make a joke about his ex-wife. Despite the fact that they are no longer “friends” online, she still saw the message and was upset, which led to a sort of revelation. As Paul writes:

“Obviously, I should just learn to keep my mouth shut, or at least keep the ex-wife jokes to the open-mic nights (because no one will hear them there). I’m allowed to make some hay out of my pain, but it’s always best to tread lightly when including other parties. I get it. But the real lesson, I think, is this: we’re all in this brave new world together. We’ve got to behave as though everything we say and do is going to see the light of day at some point. And we’ve got to be ok with it.”

House Energy and Commerce Committee to Focus on Privacy Breaches

According to the National Journal, “the House Energy and Commerce Committee released an agenda Wednesday of how it plans to examine privacy issues this Congress, saying it will focus first on data security and the risk posed to consumer data from security breaches.” The report also notes that the committee recently held a hearing on the Sony Playstation Network breach, and that Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee Chairwoman Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., has plans to “reintroduce data breach legislation soon.”

FTC Chairman: Web Businesses Must Respect Privacy

In an op-ed for Bloomberg, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz talks about the insidious threat of data mining and why Internet companies must take action to respect consumer privacy. In his piece, Leibowitz perfectly explains the issue at hand and what Internet businesses need to do about it:

“Every time you go online, a host of invisible data catchers, placed on your computer without your permission, follow you as you browse, reporting your stops and actions to third-party businesses unrelated to, and sometimes without the knowledge of, the owners of the sites you visit… We call on the innovators of the Internet to use their brain power to develop a Do Not Track system that protects every individual and not just those with something to sell.”