Latest consumer-technology news and information from the Canadian Press.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Insiders and early Facebook investors are taking advantage of increasing investor demand and selling more of their stock in the company's initial public offering, the company said Wednesday.

TORONTO - Canadians who get creeped out by web ads that seem to know a little too much about their personal habits should have access in the coming months to an opt-out tool that will help fight the effect of so-called behavioural advertising.

VANCOUVER - As Facebook prepares for its massive initial public offering, likely Friday, the booming social media market has also produced a breakthrough year for a Canadian company.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Already expected to be the largest-ever initial public offering for an Internet company, Facebook is making its IPO even bigger.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Facebook's reach is wide but not deep. Few users surveyed in an Associated Press-CNBC poll say they click on the site's ads or buy the virtual goods that make money for it.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Gloria Steinem has joined a new revolution — the e-book revolution.

TORONTO - Canada's banking system has been the subject of international praise from economists grappling with global turmoil, but one 12-year-old girl begs to differ.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - A New York judge has refused to toss out lawsuits alleging that Apple Inc. and various publishers conspired to drive up the price of e-books.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The phrase "Can you hear me now" has entered the jet age.

TORONTO - Within months, Canadian shoppers could have the option of paying for purchases with cash, credit or by BlackBerry.

Top 10 free and paid apps for the iPhone and iPad in Canada for the week ending May 13.

TORONTO - The value of computer software piracy in Canada totalled just more than $1.1 billion last year with 40 per cent of computer users admitting they acquired software illegally, according to a study released Tuesday.

Facebook is selling 180 million of its shares in its initial public offering. Another 157 million are coming from existing stockholders, including the company's earliest investors and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who's selling some of his stock to cover tax obligations.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - An early Facebook employee and former assistant to Mark Zuckerberg will have a memoir out this summer.

Half of Americans think Facebook is a passing fad, according to the results of a new Associated Press-CNBC poll. And, in the run-up to the social network's initial public offering of stock, half of Americans also say the social network's expected asking price is too high.

Facebook and its shareholders are hoping to raise as much as $11.8 billion in an initial public offering of stock. It would be the largest IPO ever for an Internet company. Here are the top 10 so far, according to Renaissance Capital, an IPO investment adviser:

CHICAGO - Hoping to get in on Facebook's hotly anticipated public stock offering? You'll need Facebook friends at very high levels — or a lot of money.

SAN FRANCISCO - Yahoo ended Scott Thompson's four-month stint as its CEO without giving him a severance package.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Signalling a change of fortunes, online deals company Groupon Inc. posted a smaller net loss and sharply higher revenue in the first quarter, helped by increased demand from a growing customer base.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Facebook says 25 per cent more shares will be sold as investors clamour for a piece of the year's hottest stock offering.

MONTREAL - Using smartphones to pay for small purchases took another step forward Monday with Canada's financial institutions announcing guidelines for mobile payments that work with technology already in place.

SAN FRANCISCO - Yahoo still has credibility issues, even after casting aside CEO Scott Thompson because his official biography included a college degree that he never received.

SAN FRANCISCO - Yahoo still has credibility issues, even after casting aside CEO Scott Thompson because his official biography included a college degree that he never received.