Facebook (formerly [thefacebook]) is an online social networking service headquartered in Menlo

Park, California. Its name comes from a colloquialism for the directory given to students at some
American universities.!" #ace$ook was founded on #e$ruary %, &''%, $y Mark (ucker$erg with
his college roommates and fellow )arvard *niversity students +duardo ,averin, Andrew
McCollum, -ustin Moskovit. and Chris )ughes./" 0he founders had initially limited the we$site1s
mem$ershi2 to )arvard students, $ut later e32anded it to colleges in the 4oston area, the Ivy
5eague, and ,tanford *niversity. It gradually added su22ort for students at various other
universities and later to their high6school students. #ace$ook now allows anyone who claims to $e
at least 78 years old worldwide to $ecome a registered user of the we$site, although 2roof is not
required.9"
After registering to use the site, users may create a 2ersonal 2rofile, add other users as friends,
e3change messages, 2ost status u2dates and 2hotos, and receive notifications when others u2date
their 2rofiles. Additionally, users may :oin common6interest user grou2s, organi.ed $y work2lace,
school or college, or other characteristics, and categori.e their friends into lists such as ;Peo2le
#rom <ork; or ;Close #riends;. #ace$ook had over 7.8 $illion active users as of =une &'7%.7'"
-ue to the large volume of data collected a$out users, the service1s 2rivacy 2olicies have faced
scrutiny, among other criticisms. #ace$ook, Inc. held its initial 2u$lic offering in #e$ruary &'7& and
$egan selling stock to the 2u$lic three months later, reaching a 2eak market ca2itali.ation of >7'%
$illion.