Facebook is now parking warden

Facebook is becoming the modern equivalent of public stocks in Russia, where an online newspaper is using the social network to tackle bad parking.

A smartphone app created by The Village newspaper uses pictures and vehicle details to generate a banner advert "naming and shaming" offenders. The ad is sent to all IP addresses in the vicinity, and can only be closed by then sharing the information on Facebook.

Russia clearly has big problems with bad parking -- the app was downloaded nearly 5,000 times within a few weeks of its launch.