1. A system comprising: one or more processors; a distributed database configured with items of data, the distributed database storing information of a social networking system describing a plurality of existing users; a scripting language configured to extract data from the social networking system, the data extraction applying access control comprising privacy settings of each user of the social networking system, the privacy settings restricting the information about the user that is accessible to other users of the social networking system; and a structured query language interface for extracting information of the social networking system, the structured query language interface in communication with the scripting language, the structured query language interface configured to access database systems and further configured to receive a query over a network, to send the query to the scripting language, and to receive extracted data from the scripting language comprising the requested information subject to the privacy settings of users of the social networking system in response to the query, wherein the distributed database allows an addition by the social networking system of a new field or category of data to the plurality of existing users, the new field or category of data representing an attribute describing each user of the plurality of existing users and storing data directly received from one or more users of the social networking system rather than data derived from one or more existing fields of data; and wherein the structured query language is further configured to receive a request from an application or website maintained by a third party separate from the social networking system, the request identifying the new field or category of data, generate a response to the request comprising the new field or category of data, determine a format for the response to accommodate a database of the third party, convert the response into the determined format, and provide the response in the determined format to the third party.