Facebook releases 'like' plugin for Google browser

Social networking giant Facebook has released a plugin that allows a users of the social networking siet to like, share or recommend any page from anywhere in Google’s Chrome browser. The plugin, once installed, appears as a thumbs-up icon in the top right corner of the Chrome browser, Facebook said in the plugin's description on Google’s Chrome Web store. "Liking a page is as easy as clicking on that button, which also displays the total number of likes associated with any website you are viewing," it explained. With the plugin, users can like, share or recommend web pages, images, videos (HTML5 only) and audio (HTML5 only) on Facebook from any site on the web, with just the click of a button. A user can also right-click on any page to like, share or recommend content from the Facebook Like Button menu. "If you choose to share content, you can add a comment and control who sees your post," it said. But Facebook said a user who wants to like, share or recommend a page will "need to log in to a current Facebook account, or create a new one" in order for the plugin to work. The plugin will display the total number of likes for the page one is viewing, along with some technical information such as the URL of the page, the user’s IP address and the date and time the user visited the site. Facebook said all information collected before a user logs into one's account is "anonymous or aggregated, and will not identify you." The Chrome extension can access a user’s data on facebook.com, as well as the user’s tabs and browsing activity. Facebook's move came on the heels of Google's release of its own +1 button just last week, which performed basically the same functions as the like button. The social networking giant had earlier announced a revamp of some of its privacy settings, most of which were versions of features already present in Google's newly released Google+ social network. —JMT/RSJ, GMA News