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July 2, 2008 1:51 PM PDT

Facebook-advertised boozefest spurs liquor ban

The ill-fated invitation.

(Credit: Facebook)

Mark Zuckerberg, what hath thou wrought? A Facebook invitation for a massive beach party in Britain looked to ensure an event so wild and widespread that the local police felt the need to impose a 24-hour ban on liquor consumption.

When more than 7,000 people RSVP'd to an invitation for a "Night of Mayhem" in the British coastal region of Torbay, set to take place this Friday night, the local press started jumping on the story.

Finally, the local cops started to get concerned. According to the blog PSFK, a 2003 law enabled the police to impose a 24-hour ban on liquor in Torbay, meaning that the party hosts would've had to obtain a permit.

Organizers promptly canceled the event.

People attending beaches in Torbay on the weekend will be asked to leave or be arrested," the original invitation read. "Do not travel to Torbay. There will still be a high police presence around the coast. No event whatsoever will be taking place in Torbay, and we urge you to inform all others you know that are planning to attend that it is no longer going ahead."

Many invitations on Facebook are completely open to the public, resulting in the possibility that an event will get completely out of hand when large numbers of people show up.

This spring, a large amount of press ensued when a British teenager reportedly created Facebook and Bebo invitations to her parents' vacation house in Spain; hundreds of people showed up and subsequently trashed the place.

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.
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Add a Comment (Log in or register) 3 comments
by bradley895 July 3, 2008 9:29 AM PDT
Hi but by the looks of that picture of the facebook page it says Torbay NL which i do belive is in Newfoundland Canada
Reply to this comment
by TV James July 3, 2008 10:32 AM PDT
Who's Mark Zuckerberg?
Reply to this comment
by blabtech July 3, 2008 8:08 PM PDT
Mark Zukerberg is the guy who like invented Facebook...

http://blabtech.blogspot.com
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About The Social

CNET News' Caroline McCarthy is a downtown Manhattanite who believes that, despite popular opinion, the Web can actually help your social life. She's happily addicted to fun social-media tools from Twitter to Yelp to Facebook, sends an inordinate number of text messages, and has a tendency to waste time at the office reading restaurant blogs. Here, she explores all facets of the Web's gregarious side, as well as the unique tech culture in her home city of New York. (Don't call it Silicon Alley.)

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