Online security and social networking

[GostHacked]

There are many reasons why I won't ever use something like Facebook through a browser. Let alone having an app on your phone that connects to Facebook. We have seen many security issues with the social networking website, and they are increasing, not going away anytime soon.

Now this new flaw is even worse.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/10/18/facebook-apps-transmit-sell-personal-info/

The issue affects tens of millions of Facebook app users, including people who set their profiles to Facebook's strictest privacy settings. The practice breaks Facebook's rules, and renews questions about its ability to keep identifiable information about its users' activities secure.

The problem has ties to the growing field of companies that build detailed databases on people in order to track them online—a practice the Journal has been examining in its What They Know series. It's unclear how long the breach was in place. On Sunday, a Facebook spokesman said it is taking steps to "dramatically limit" the exposure of users' personal information.

Even when the company says they are doing their best to make sure information is private, there is no way to actually guarantee the safety of the website and information you put up there.

Nothing you do online seems to be private anymore regardless of the companies trying to reassure customers that they have the best security in place. It's obviously not working.

Facebook already has a tough time with their own website, let alone 3rd party apps..

"Apps" are pieces of software that let Facebook's 500 million users play games or share common interests with one another. The Journal found that all of the 10 most popular apps on Facebook were transmitting users' IDs to outside companies.

The apps, ranked by research company Inside Network Inc. (based on monthly users), include Zynga Game Network Inc.'s FarmVille, with 59 million users, and Texas HoldEm Poker and FrontierVille. Three of the top 10 apps, including FarmVille, also have been transmitting personal information about a user's friends to outside companies.

Most apps aren't made by Facebook, but by independent software developers. Several apps became unavailable to Facebook users after the Journal informed Facebook that the apps were transmitting personal information; the specific reason for their unavailability remains unclear.

So what kinds of social networking do all of you use?

How do you use it?

How secure do you feel it is?

Does the lack of security and ease of access to your private information concern you at all?

[Michael Hardner]

So what kinds of social networking do all of you use?

How do you use it?

How secure do you feel it is?

Does the lack of security and ease of access to your private information concern you at all?

I use any social network tools that I find useful - facebook, linkedin, digby occasionally and online forums.

I use them as I use cultural media - to educate and entertain myself.

Given that these people make money through advertising, and that they don't charge - I have no expectation that they will hide information about me that I have volunteered. It's a trade-off. The word 'security' is overused when discussing these tools.

And your last question answers your second last with the term "lack of security".

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The scare mongering pushed by television such as Fox (which also has a conflict of interest in that they own MySpace, which facebook has rightly killed) results in the stupidest rumours out there you can imagine. People seem to be terrified of getting pop-up ads these days, and would prefer to watch network television with 27% advertisement instead.

My parents seem to be terrified of facebook for some reason. As a result, they miss out on a lot.

[scribblet]

I use FB but not a lot, mainly to talk to people in the U.K. I've had no security problems but I'm careful with my settings and never use or download any third party apps.

I've wondered how FB makes money because I don't notice a lot of advertising on there, do they sell your email address or ?

okay I just saw this

Facebook is facing a fresh round of privacy woes following the revelation that some of the most popular applications, or “apps” on the world’s largest social network have been relaying the personal information of millions of users — including their full names in some cases — to advertisers, in direct violation of the site’s revamped privacy policies.

Confirming the worst fears of privacy advocates around the world, a Wall Street Journal investigation has found that dozens of Facebook apps — including all 10 of the most popular games on the site — have been transmitting identifying information, including the names of users and their friends, to advertising and Internet tracking companies.

According to the Wall Street Journal, it’s unknown just how long the privacy breach was in place or how many of the site’s more than 500 million users were affected.

A spokesman for Facebook told the newspaper the Palo Alto, California company is taking steps to “dramatically limit” the exposure of users’ personal information.

“A Facebook user ID may be inadvertently shared by a user’s Internet browser or by an application,” the spokesman told The Journal. Knowledge of an ID “does not permit access to anyone’s private information on Facebook,” he said.

Facebook plans to introduce new measures to fix the problem.

Read more: http://business.financialpost.com/2010/10/18/fp-tech-desk-facebook-apps-sending-personal-information-to-data-tracking-firms-wsj/#ixzz12jwQyr29

Edited October 19, 2010 by scribblet

[eyeball]

There are many reasons why I won't ever use something like Facebook through a browser.

The fact I waste enough time on here is enough to keep me from joining. My wife is sure to keep me informed if anything happens, besides I don't know if I could handle the rejection if someone refused to be my friend.

It adds a new dimension to the small town phenomenon where everybody knows everybody. It's a little weird to have my wife point something out then run into people in town 10 minutes later who start yacking away about that or something else that someone in my family posted on Facebook. I sometimes feel like Truman Burbank. If you got enough people in on it you could probably pull off a hell of a good practical joke by making them question their own sanity.

[Shwa]

So what kinds of social networking do all of you use?

How do you use it?

How secure do you feel it is?

Does the lack of security and ease of access to your private information concern you at all?

I use Facebook which I believe is 'pretty secure' for what I use it for. I don't post anything too private or worthwhile and I have pretty restricted profile view rights. I use it to keep in touch with family, friends, colleagues and such. If some megacorp wants to track me on Facebook they are gonna be pretty disappointed with the trail.

I am not concerned about privacy issues, but the average user should RTFM and be aware of what it is and what it's limits are...

[Michael Hardner]

I've wondered how FB makes money because I don't notice a lot of advertising on there, do they sell your email address or ?

Online advertising can be directed towards specific people - because their computer knows things about you - your age, where you live, and which sports teams you like. (Your TV doesn't know anything about you.) So advertising dollars spent in the online world reach fewer people, but the market is easier to target.

[dre]

I've wondered how FB makes money because I don't notice a lot of advertising on there, do they sell your email address or ?

Last year they made about 300 million dollars selling the "Self Service" adds that appear in the right column on facebook. Engagement ads brought in another 50 million. Another 50 million came from a special deal with microsoft to sell facebook ads, and about another 50 million came from selling facebook gifts and other virtual merchandise.