FACEBOOK'S ABOUT-FACE: The popular social networking website Facebook just backed down from a controversial new advertising program after a revolt by thousands of members. Facebook had launched Beacon, which was using "social advertising" technology to broadcast information about online purchases without many users' consent. The idea was to convert private commerce into public endorsements: "Ben Bloom ate at the restaurant Junnoon," read one ad, with a prominent head shot of Ben displayed next to the company logo. But what if Ben didn't want his lunch date to be an ad? Beacon enrolled people automatically, offering users a choice to "opt out" of each ad on an individual basis.

Many people didn't like that, so they protested, naturally, on Facebook. MoveOn started a group demanding that Beacon switch to "opt in"--a default to protect uninformed users--and allow people to reject the program completely in one click. A new group, Facebook: Stop Invading My Privacy!, quickly swelled to more than 50,000 members. It was a hub for activism, news and stories about Beacon snafus, including Christmas surprises spoiled by posted ads. Students from across the country signed up to lead the group as self-declared "privacy avengers," and its message board drew more than 1,000 posts in less than two weeks. Then Facebook conceded to the first demand, scaling back Beacon so users must choose to participate. MoveOn declared victory, crediting "everyday Internet users." The partial retreat was especially striking because last year, a much larger protest group of 700,000 users did not compel Facebook to abandon the "feed," a new feature that blasts updates about people to their personal networks. This time, however, the activism was not limited to decentralized complaints. MoveOn added critical leadership and a practical reform agenda, while users spread the word about Facebook on Facebook.   ARI MELBER

LIFE IN THE GARDEN STATE: On December 3 a New Jersey State Senate committee voted to rid the justice system of state-sanctioned murder, once and for all. With the Death Penalty Elimination bill on a fast track and Governor Jon Corzine vowing to sign it, New Jersey could become the first state to abolish the death penalty since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976 by the Supreme Court.

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