I've had a couple people mention to me in passing that they need to shore up their Facebook security settings, and of course I directed them here.
Today I stumbled upon reclaimprivacy.org which is a site that will scan your Facebook page and alert you to any information that is publicly available. It's pretty easy to use and works really well.
Yet another weapon in the Facebook privacy battle...
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Steve Jobs and "Freedom"
I know I'm late to the party on this one, but I had to link this Gawker post with an email exchange between Ryan Tate and Steve Jobs. I think that it's great that Steve Jobs is so willing to engage with his customers and critics, even if it is 90% posturing and marketing spin.
I wonder what the exchange would have been like if Ryan had been Richard Stallman? It's interesting to me how the word "freedom" has taken on different meanings over the last decade or so. I quote the following from Merriam-Webster's dictionary:
Main Entry: free·dom
Function: noun
1 : the quality or state of being free: as a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another c : the quality or state of being exempt or released from something onerous
I think when most of us talk about freedom we're thinking about 1a and 1b... I think that Apple looks at freedom as 1c and that the emphasis is on the word onerous:
Main Entry: oner·ous
Function: adjective
1 : excessively burdensome or costly
2 : involving a return benefit, compensation, or consideration onerous donation
Why that definition sounds like a description of most Apple hardware! And, in the interest of full disclosure, I am typing this blog entry on a Mac...
Come on Steve, get with the program. No one buys that Apple is about freedom. Apple is about profit and as its CEO you have a fiduciary responsibility to protect that profit. No one is going to blame you for doing your job, but lets cut the "freedom" rhetoric... or at the very least practice what you preach and trade in your iPad for a Lemote Yeeloong the only computer that actually can run all free software (and hence meet the primary definition of freedom).
I wonder what the exchange would have been like if Ryan had been Richard Stallman? It's interesting to me how the word "freedom" has taken on different meanings over the last decade or so. I quote the following from Merriam-Webster's dictionary:
Main Entry: free·dom
Function: noun
1 : the quality or state of being free: as a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another c : the quality or state of being exempt or released from something onerous
I think when most of us talk about freedom we're thinking about 1a and 1b... I think that Apple looks at freedom as 1c and that the emphasis is on the word onerous:
Main Entry: oner·ous
Function: adjective
1 : excessively burdensome or costly
2 : involving a return benefit, compensation, or consideration onerous donation
Why that definition sounds like a description of most Apple hardware! And, in the interest of full disclosure, I am typing this blog entry on a Mac...
Come on Steve, get with the program. No one buys that Apple is about freedom. Apple is about profit and as its CEO you have a fiduciary responsibility to protect that profit. No one is going to blame you for doing your job, but lets cut the "freedom" rhetoric... or at the very least practice what you preach and trade in your iPad for a Lemote Yeeloong the only computer that actually can run all free software (and hence meet the primary definition of freedom).
Friday, May 14, 2010
Facebook Privacy Battle Rages On
Yesterday CNN had this article about how users are leaving Facebook due to privacy concerns, and Facebook fired another salvo in an attempt to protect its reputation by announcing a new service that is aimed at protecting private information.
While this new service will help prevent unauthorized access to your personal Facebook login unless you approve the access yourself (by answering a security question), and it would notify you of any attempts to access your account on unauthorized machines, I think that this quote from the Facebook engineer is more important than any new security feature; "As always, though, the first line of defense is you. We need you to help by practicing safe behavior on Facebook and wherever you go online".
In my mind, the main issue with Facebook's privacy problems is who they are intentionally sharing your private information with. I think that everyone who uses Facebook needs to take any announcement of "security improvements" or "privacy enhancements" with a grain of salt... the interface for Facebook could be made as secure as your online banking site, it wouldn't change the fact that the "banker" (Facebook) is doling out your "money" (personal information) to anyone they choose. Facebook needs to stop putting the impetus for privacy on their users, and start working to educate their users about how their information is being used.
Facebook needs to focus on making their privacy policy and settings clear and simple, and by default these settings should be locked down until the user decides that information should be shared. As long as people continue to be surprised when they find their personal information in unexpected places online, Facebook will have an uphill PR battle to fight. The issue isn't so much that the personal information is being monetized, it's that it's being done in a way that is not transparent to the user.
While this new service will help prevent unauthorized access to your personal Facebook login unless you approve the access yourself (by answering a security question), and it would notify you of any attempts to access your account on unauthorized machines, I think that this quote from the Facebook engineer is more important than any new security feature; "As always, though, the first line of defense is you. We need you to help by practicing safe behavior on Facebook and wherever you go online".
In my mind, the main issue with Facebook's privacy problems is who they are intentionally sharing your private information with. I think that everyone who uses Facebook needs to take any announcement of "security improvements" or "privacy enhancements" with a grain of salt... the interface for Facebook could be made as secure as your online banking site, it wouldn't change the fact that the "banker" (Facebook) is doling out your "money" (personal information) to anyone they choose. Facebook needs to stop putting the impetus for privacy on their users, and start working to educate their users about how their information is being used.
Facebook needs to focus on making their privacy policy and settings clear and simple, and by default these settings should be locked down until the user decides that information should be shared. As long as people continue to be surprised when they find their personal information in unexpected places online, Facebook will have an uphill PR battle to fight. The issue isn't so much that the personal information is being monetized, it's that it's being done in a way that is not transparent to the user.
Friday, May 7, 2010
New Worm Spreads via Yahoo! IM and Skype
Bkis Blog » Skype – New target of the worm spreading via IM
The above blog has the details of a new worm (virus) that is being spread via obfuscated links in IM messages. I've posted about this type of thing before...
Remember you should always verify a link, file, image, etc. before opening it, even if it appears to come from someone you know. It's much less of a hassle to send a quick email or IM asking "did you really send me this link?" than it is to clean up the mess after you're infected!
The above blog has the details of a new worm (virus) that is being spread via obfuscated links in IM messages. I've posted about this type of thing before...
Remember you should always verify a link, file, image, etc. before opening it, even if it appears to come from someone you know. It's much less of a hassle to send a quick email or IM asking "did you really send me this link?" than it is to clean up the mess after you're infected!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
More Facebook Privacy Drama
Understanding Facebook's privacy aftershocks | The Social - CNET News
The above article continues to highlight the many dangers of posting too much personal information online. I thought I'd use this opportunity to reference my former article on protecting your personal information.
Remember, in many respects the Internet is still the Wild West... be careful out there!
The above article continues to highlight the many dangers of posting too much personal information online. I thought I'd use this opportunity to reference my former article on protecting your personal information.
Remember, in many respects the Internet is still the Wild West... be careful out there!
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