The Power and the Peril of Social Media

Social media have been a force for liberation in repressive countries. They've also been used to organize crime. Can governments control Facebook, Twitter and other networks, and protect free speech at the same time? Also, the United States calls for Syrian President Assad to step down, and Standard & Poor's faces a federal investigation.

Banner image: A demonstrator wears a mask as he tries to use his cell phone during a protest inside the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Civic Center station on August 15, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images