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With a proclamation of sorts, Unthink, the newest start-up social networking site that plans to dethroned the evil chains of Facebook, launched last week. It claims to give users the right to own their data and asserts that freedom and emancipation are the keys to their site. Will Unthink give users the right to privacy and security?
In our bi-weekly social media privacy report we spend a lot of time discussing Facebook privacy and security concerns. Recent posts have included what we considered high priority issues: the network tracking logged out users , new features like the ticker and subscriptions and Facebook content being used for background checks. Yet despite Facebook’s reputation for pushing the envelope in terms of online privacy and security, most users, especially the ones that use the social site on a daily basis, are not worried about privacy.
PRIVATE WiFi, in conjunction with the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), is sponsoring a contest for Facebook users to help remind them to keep their online identities safe. Four lucky winners will receive a yearly subscription to PRIVATE WiFi and one grand prize winner will receive an iPad 2!
It is hard to avoid the word Facebook in the news recently. At the company’s F8 conference two weeks ago, the network announced big changes to the user experience: the new Timeline profile, partnerships with music streaming sites like Spotify and the “open graph” concept. All of these alterations will, of course, have large implications on user privacy and security on the social networking site. However, we found it hard to focus on these changes, when just a few days after the conference, an Austrialian hacker revealed a huge security issue: Facebook was enabling cookies that continued to track its users even after they had logged out of the site.
Just in time for the big F8 Conference yesterday, Facebook made some big changes to the user experience of the site earlier this week. As is the tradition in Facebook mythology, members aren’t happy and complaints are flowing through the News Feed like never before. But we aren’t here to talk about whether the new features on Facebook are good or bad; we want to discuss what they mean for your online privacy.
Like the proverbial elephant, the Internet never forgets. That youthful indiscretion or embarrassing party photograph can be around your neck forever. Actually, the issue is not so much that the Internet does not forget, but rather that it provides tools that allow virtually anything about you to be found. Blame Google, of course, but the various personal information services are quite a bit more insidious. Click the headline above to read more about the “right to be forgotten” online.
Facebook has become very successful by being a part of everything we do on the Internet. Facebook’s philosophy is that the Internet is more fun when it’s shared, like a party. The problem is that we can’t be sure who else Facebook has invited to the party and if we should really trust them or not. Click above to read CEO Kent Lawson’s in-depth response to this month’s “Ask the Expert” article and find out the BEST and easiest ways to stay safe on Facebook. After all, he calls Facebook “a spamware purveyor’s delight” because it’s a service where literally millions of people are waiting around for the next interesting thing to arrive on their pages. Check out his tips so you don’t get spammed!
The photo sharing social network, Flickr, is taking steps to ensure its users’ privacy. Last week the website introduced Geofences, which help mask the location of a photo and thus protect online security and privacy.
Before you upload pics from your Labor Day weekend extravaganza — and the rest of your summer vacation photos — check out what CEO Kent Lawson has to say about the risks of sharing digital photos online. In his latest “best of” series, we revisit what “modern” cameras record, how to turn off GPS tracking, and other ways to keep your identity safer online.
Cybercriminals are using social engineering techniques to hack humans on social networks in record numbers. Why? Because it’s often easier than hacking technology. And the rewards can be a lot bigger. Find out how you can avoid becoming a victim of some of the most common social media cons.
It was only a matter of time before Facebook was penetrated by thieves ready to exploit the popular network for their own gain. There are a few ways that thieves obtain information through Facebook which if consumers are aware of, they are much more likely to be able to protect themselves.
It may have been the pressure of the growing Google + social network and its “Circles” privacy feature; or maybe it was just Facebook actually listening to user concerns. But no matter what triggered it, on Tuesday the social giant, Facebook, announced a massive redesign of its privacy features that were rolled out just yesterday.
