Commenting on Twitter, FB 'not same as chatting in pub'

Now, posting any comment on social networks like Twitter and Facebook is no longer the same as a chat down the pub, two prominent British media lawyers have said. Media lawyers Niri Shan and Lorna Caddy explained that when we post material online, we act as publishers and our publications are subject to the same laws as those of professional publishers, such as newspapers.

According to the lawyers, the court's ruling in cases involving social networks, suggest that the public cannot treat Twitter and Facebook as they would a casual chat in the pub, the Telegraph reports.

The remarks came as a UK District Judge Andrew Shaw recently ordered nine people to pay footballer, Ched Evan's, rape victim 624 pounds after they admitted disclosing her identity on Twitter and Facebook.

They were charged with publishing material likely to lead members of the public to identify the complainant in a rape case, the paper said.

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Facebook tracks real-time voters in US election

Facebook users in the US can let the world know they voted in the US presidential election Tuesday, with results displaying on a real-time map on the popular social networking site.

"This map is a representation of people on Facebook who clicked an Election Day prompt to share with their friends that they're voting in the 2012 US election," said the Facebook team in a post on the website.

While Facebook masks the identity of which users voted, other information on those who self-reported their trip to the polls is available, such as their age, gender, and geographic location.

Facebook's team will also use its so-called "Talk Meter" to monitor and measure overall chatter and the most used terms and phrases on the site during Election Day.

Facebook ranks topics on a scale of 1-to-10 and posts results on its US Politics on Facebook page.

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