Maktoob Business has reported that The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that several popular Facebook applications have been transmitting users' personal identifying information to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies. Facebook said it is working to fix the problem, and was quick to point out that the leaks were not intentional, but a consequence of basic Web mechanisms.

Maktoob Business reports that the UAE has dropped the threat to suspend BlackBerry services after resolving the dispute with Research in Motion (RIM). According to RIM, BlackBerry services are now compliant with UAE's telecommunications regulatory framework. Therefore all Blackberry services in the UAE will continue to operate as normal and no suspension of service will occur on October 11, 2010. Etisalat and du, the two mobile operators in the UAE, issued statements confirming all BlackBerry services would continue to operate as normal.

Maktoob Business has reported that two Facebook movies are to hit the screens within the coming weeks, tackling social media at its all-time high. "Catfish", which opens in U.S. theaters on Friday, follows Nev Schulman, a photographer who falls in love with a girl on Facebook. The second movie, "The Social Network," arrives on October 1, with a pedigree that includes Oscar-nominated David Fincher directing from a screenplay by the four-time Emmy Award winning Aaron Sorkin.

Maktoob Business has reported that BlackBerry users in Saudi Arabia said their messaging services went down only briefly on Friday despite the ban announced by the Saudi telecommunications authority on Tuesday.
While Lebanon said no decision had yet been taken, and Oman and Bahrain said they would not follow the example of their Gulf neighbours, the cost of the smartphone fell in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ahead of a similar ban.

Maktoob Business reports that the UAE will suspend Blackberry services in October as they allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national security concerns for the UAE, as well as posing security risks. The suspension of Blackberry Messenger, email and web browsing services comes after attempts dating back to 2007 to bring the service into line with regulations, the TRA said.
The UAE said it would halt Blackberry services until an "acceptable solution" is developed and applied.

Maktoob Business has reported that personal details of 100 million users on Facebook have been scanned and are now available as a downloadable file after they were leaked online. Ron Bowles, an online security consultant, collected data not hidden by users' privacy settings, and compiled a list to highlight privacy issues. The downloadable file contains the URL of every 'searchable' Facebook user's profile, their name and unique ID.

Maktoob Business reports that Skype internet telephony firm is currently setting up an office in the Bahraini capital Manama, despite that it has been deemed illegal and banned among other internet-based call providers in several countries including the UAE and Kuwait. The representative office will support Skype’s global strategy of making its service available to as many people as possible, regardless of their location.

Maktoob Business reports that Yahoo! has agreed to acquire Maktoob.com, the Arab world’s largest online community, marking the first major investment by a U.S. technology company in a region where internet penetration is still in its infancy.

Maktoob Business reports that a new report by O'Reilly Research has found that the Middle East and North Africa account for nearly a tenth of all Facebook users, showing that Egyptians and Saudi Arabians account for the largest section of the audience in the area.

Maktoob Business reports that Abu Dhabi Media Co. has won the rights to broadcast the English Premier League for three-years from 2010, which means that Showtime Arabia has lost these rights as of next season.