Facebook plays offense in DC for new feature

It’s a tune that is familiar in Washington: Facebook announces a new product or policy change, and privacy hawks fire back. And it’s a tune that Facebook is trying to end. The public first learned April 17 about Nearby Friends, which lets Facebook users who turn on the feature see in real-time how close they are physically to their online compatriots. But some in DC got an early rundown of the company’s major launch. The firm routinely reaches out these days to Washington types, including those on Capitol Hill, a spokeswoman said -- a reflection that Facebook is increasingly interested in tempering worries from the policy crowd.