Top 5 stories: Facebook shuts down user votes, technology ruins Christmas and Nick Clegg's snooping block

Making headlines this week...

The end of democracy on Facebook?

Facebook has responded bullishly to claims that it didn't make users aware of a potential major change to the way it handles user data.

A vote on new Facebook data and information governance asked users to choose between the sites existing policy and a new version. Just 0.067 per cent of users voted, with a 30 per cent turnout needed for the vote to be binding.

Of those who did vote, a total of 668,872, an overwhelming 88 per cent voted against changes to Facebook's governance and user data policies.

Has technology ruined Christmas?

The special Christmas edition of Activ8 sees Alan and Tim compete to find out if technology can make Christmas shopping easier.

We send Tim to Europe's longest street market, in London's Walthamstow, while Alan uses a tablet app to do his Christmas food shop. Who will win on quality, convenience and price?

We also try and work out if technology has made Christmas better. Does it bring people closer together or cause us all to gawk at our new shiny technological wonders?

Google's 2012 zeitgeist shows UK's love of sports and all things trivial

While the Olympics was seemingly the biggest event in the UK this year, Euro 2012 topped a list of most searched for topics on Google.

The search-giant's annual zeitgeist provides an interesting guide of what's piqued public interest over the past twelve months. With Euro 2012 and Olympic tickets taking the top two spots, the rest of the list was populated by the likes of Whitney Houston, Kate Middleton and Gary Barlow.

Jurors using Twitter during trial could face jail

A specific criminal offence could be created because of the threat of jurors using the internet to comment on, or carry out research on the case they are trying.

"Errant jurors have been encountered for centuries. What is novel is the use of the internet. Twitter, internet blogs, pose a challenge to the current law on contempt of court, which dates from a time before the internet was so widely used," the Law Commission said in a consultation paper on law reform.

Nick Clegg vows to block progess of 'snooper's charter'

Home Secretary Theresa May's plans to push through the controversial Communications Data Bill have been dealt a blow by Nick Clegg.

The deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader said while he understood there was a crime problem that needed to be addressed, the Bill as it currently stands is not the way forward and he would block its progress.