Facebook Launches Page for Congress

Congress now officially has a Facebook page.

The social networking site today launched Congress on Facebook, a hub for congressional activity on the site.

More than 300 members of Congress already use Facebook, and visitors of the site can view pages belonging to members of the House and Senate via the new hub. It also lists Facebook pages for congressional committees.

Facebook says it also intends to use the new page to highlight ways congressmen use the site and to communicate news and information about Facebook to Congress. It currently highlights some pieces of legislation the company supports, such as the International Cybercrime Reporting and Cooperation Act, introduced by Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), which would compel the White House to identify countries thought to be soft on cybercrime and establish plans for addressing the problem.

Not every member of Congress with a presence on Facebook is listed on the hub. For instance, California Sen. Barbara Boxer has a Facebook page that is absent -- however, Boxer promotes her Facebook page on her campaign website instead of her official Senate page. Similarly, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) has a Facebook page not listed, which he promotes just on his campaign site. Franken is one of the four senators who have expressed concerns about privacy on Facebook.

The site already runs a Facebook and Government page, which similarly facilitates government use of the site.