July 31, 2007 1:46 PM PDT
Report: Facebook axes third-party app Audio over copyright issues
VentureBeat reports that Facebook has removed a popular application from its third-party developer platform over potential copyright issues. The application, called Audio, allowed users to upload MP3 files and share them with their friends--yup, that's a recipe for copyright disaster.
Facebook had already axed the app once before, according to the article. It appears that Audio had been created by a single developer, not an existing company.
As VentureBeat's Eric Eldon points out, this shows that Facebook is taking terms-of-service violations seriously when it comes to the Platform, which was launched in late May and catapulted the already-popular company to the upper echelon of Silicon Valley's elite. It's a crucial PR move for the company, considering recent reports that third-party applications made by non-Facebook developers may make identity theft and fraud easier. But it's also just a smart move: we're all more than aware by now that you really don't want to mess with music copyright infringement.
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline. 
