WASHINGTON POST -- June 3 -- Google's announcement of a service to "make the Web more social" was decidedly casual, or staged to seem that way. Facebook withdrew its support for Google's Friend Connect, meaning that none of Facebook's members could sign in to Web sites using Google's new service. It was an embarrassing rift for both sides. Until Facebook's withdrawal, Google's Friend Connect would have allowed Facebook members to visit other Web sites using the service and tap into their Facebook friends list and other information. To protect privacy, users would use their Facebook username and password to access their information. That, Google officials explained, is how 'Friend Connect' would make the Web "more social." But shortly after the launch, Facebook officials asserted that Google hadn't briefed them on Friend Connect. They said, it violated user privacy by passing user information to third parties.

MORE NEWS @ SOCIAL NETWORKING WATCH