It's right in front of you.

Profile Spy: It just can't be done!

2010-07-29T20:29:00.002+02:00

As mentioned in a previous post "Come on, it's right in front of you! Really! Just open your eyes... you just can't believe everything you see on Facebook. Especially those groups and applications that claim to be able to "tell you who is viewing your profile" or who is "stalking you on Facebook". It's not real. It can't be done. Read more about it on AllFacebook.com.

Hacker exposing Facebook info

2010-07-29T20:26:00.002+02:00

It's another Facebook privacy scare, this time however the "hacker" didn't actually "hack" into Facebook in order to retrieve the data he has posted. He took it all from public profiles - 100 million of them!

Read more at AllFacebook.com

Then do yourself a favour and go change your Facebook privacy settings now!

Facebook Adverts explained by Facebook

2010-07-08T10:01:00.001+02:00

Facebook Privacy extended to Applications

2010-06-30T20:34:00.002+02:00

Today Facebook launched their extended Privacy settings that include settings specific to what information you share with 3rd party applications that you may use on the Facebook Platform.

Read more about it in this Facebook Blog post.

Hot Chicks to sue Facebook: For real?

2010-06-29T20:44:00.003+02:00

A recent satirical viral video circulating made by a group of "Hot Chicks" who want to sue Facebook regarding their new Privacy Settings:

Facebook Phonebook: Did you know about it?

2010-06-29T20:34:00.003+02:00

I've seen lots of status updates today of friends concerned about the latest Facebook "Privacy Scare" concerning showing other friends phone numbers in the Facebook Phonebook.

To see what they're talking about click on "Account", "Edit Friends" and then "PhoneBook" found in the left hand column.

Surprised? It seems that most users didn't know that they had this collection of all their friends phone numbers- all their friends that gave their explicit permission to Facebook to share these phone numbers with you, that is!

As explained in an article found on AllFacebook.com, this feature is not a new one, however it is also not a widely publicised one- something I think that all users who are concerned about the fact that their phone numbers may be visible to their friends should feel better about.

Remember, Facebook only shares your information to those that you ask it to. As the user you are in control of your privacy- online and not just on Facebook- and so you should make sure to educate yourself about it and take control of it.

Facebook confirms : You'll never have to pay to use it

2010-06-24T20:40:00.001+02:00

Again, so much controversy, rumour and speculation around this one. But again, Facebook have come out to assure us that you will never have to pay to use it.

Read more as reported by CNN here : Debunked: Why you'll never have to pay for Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg responds to Facebook Privacy Concerns

2010-06-24T20:29:00.002+02:00

There is always lots of hype around Facebook- what changes they make (whether good or bad) and what they are doing with all our info (whether good or bad). Most of the hype goes on unanswered, so it's really awesome to see that Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook founder and CEO for those who aren't in the know) does take notice and has in fact given a response.

Check it out Mark Zuckerbergs response to your Facebook privacy concerns here.

On a less serious note, check out this satirical viral video apology from "Mark Zuckerberg" himself:

Tips on how to keep Cyber Criminals at bay

2010-05-21T09:15:00.002+02:00

As reported by Facebook Security today:

Are you practicing safe behavior online? Check out this story from The New York Times and learn how to protect yourself and your computer from cybercriminals.

Read the full story here: Five Ways to Keep Online Criminals at Bay.

Facebook Privacy

2010-05-20T22:17:00.002+02:00

Have you been following the latest Facebook Privacy changes debate regarding Facebook's new Open Graph API system? Well, as a Facebook user, I sure hope you have! And if you haven't, read what Tech Crunch has to say about it here.

In any case, check out "5 Essential Facebook Privacy Tips" from Mashable.com as well as their guide on "HOW TO: Reclaim Privacy on Facebook".

Fake Zynga Toolbars that steal your Facebook Password

2010-05-14T19:32:00.003+02:00

We all know who Zynga are and we all dabble in a little bit of Social Gaming, be it on games such as Mafia Wars, Fishville, Farmvile or any other such addicting game.

So addicting are these games that some users spend hours scanning the internet in search of hints, tips and cheats to unlock the latest new feature, get more "farmville cash" or reward you with that special new fish you've been dying to add to your fish tank.

Warning: those toolbars that you may have seen around that promise to give you free stuff and help you cheat at these games have, in fact, been designed to cheat you- out of your Facebook login and password!

These toolbars look totally legitimate, however they are not.

For screenshots and more info, check out this report on AllFacebook.com.

How to spot an Email Phishing Scam

2010-03-24T21:32:00.003+02:00

Do you know how to spot an email Phishing scam? Have you received any of those "Verify your Internet Banking Details" emails?

Recently I have received countless emails from banks stating this:

"Dear Valued Customer.Additional security on our website bring unity and combined strength toour commitment to provide exceptional banking, it's strongly required that you should Validate your logon and security details."

Which is followed by a "Click this link" call to action which would then, I assume as I haven't actually clicked the link, take me to a similar looking page to the original banks Internet Banking site and prompt me to confirm my login details thereby giving the email fraudsters access to my bank account and all funds contained in it.

How many unsuspecting people have fallen victim to these kind of scams? At first glance it looks legit.

Except that in my case:

1. The email came from a bank that I don't have an account with

2. The time stamp on the email was from a timezone 9 hours behind where I am located (ie. not sent from the timezone where my bank is located)

3. The email address the email was sent from was a generic "account@xbank.com"

4. The email was addressed to "undisclosed-recipients" and not me personally

5. The "Click here" link's address was to a http://www.xxx.com/xbank not the actual banks website

My advice and the advice as from many banks around the world:

1. Never click on a link contained in an email claiming to be from a bank that wants to "verify your details"

2. Never give your personal banking details such as your pin number and/or passwords to anyone over the phone or through email/the internet

3. Keep your pin number and passwords safe

4. Only access your banks Internet Banking website by clicking on the link contained in the main website

5. Never access your online banking account at a public computer

How Companies Are Using Your Social Media Data

2010-03-03T21:36:00.003+02:00

So it really does seem that the phrase "big brother is watching" is true. As I mentioned previously in What happens on Facebook- stays on Facebook, forever:

"Every click, every page opened, every message sent is tracked, stored, and possibly referred to at a later stage. Everything is recorded, nothing is deleted. Online giants like Google know everything about everyone- who you send mail to, what you blog about, who you follow, who follows you, what you search for, what pages you open, how long you spend looking at them. It wouldn't take someone long to figure out where you live if you are a person who uses the "get directions" function in Google Maps- I know I've used it."

Read this article from Mashable for some mind-altering information: How Companies Are Using Your Social Media Data.

And if you're worried about your on line safety, then check out this article from AllFacebook on How to Prevent your Facebook Profile from being Hacked.

Also refer to my "Top Privacy Tips".

Top Privacy Tips

2010-03-03T21:33:00.002+02:00

Top Privacy tips from those-in-the-know:

1. Know who you are sharing your information with.

- Read the Ts&Cs of the Social Networking site you are using.

- When using Social Networking sites, only add people you know and trust.

- When choosing to add that application, know what information they are going to get from you in return.

2. Don't believe everything you read.

- Read between the lines.

- Don't jump at the first AMAZING offer you see (Do you know anyone who has actually won a free Dell laptop? Or got the old Facebook profile layout back? Or seen who is viewingtheir profile? No? I didn't think so.)

3. Is your information secure? And are you using Security measures?

- Is your Firewall/Virus checker up to date?

- Is your OS up to date.

- Do you scan files before downloading them?

- Do you check to see that you are downloading from reliable and trustworthy source?

- Do you open links/attachments in emails without scanning them for viruses?

4. Think before you post.

- Have you got friends/family's permission to post that photo?

- Will commenting about a sensitive topic offend anyone?

- Will giving out revealing information expose yourself?

Also read this article from AllFacebook on How to Prevent your Facebook Profile from being Hacked.

What happens on Facebook- stays on Facebook, forever.

2010-02-15T18:49:00.007+02:00

Privacy - a state in which one is not observed or disturbed by others.

Internet privacy - consists of privacy over the media of the Internet: the ability to control what information one reveals about oneself over the Internet, and to control who can access that information.

With so many people using the Internet for so many different reasons today, it's no wonder that privacy on the internet is such a hot topic. Whereas in the real world it is easy to hide ones actions from the general public eye, on the internet this is nearly impossible.

Every click, every page opened, every message sent is tracked, stored, and possibly referred to at a later stage. Everything is recorded, nothing is deleted. Online giants like Google know everything about everyone- who you send mail to, what you blog about, who you follow, who follows you, what you search for, what pages you open, how long you spend looking at them. It wouldn't take someone long to figure out where you live if you are a person who uses the "get directions" function in Google Maps- I know I've used it.

It is for this reason that the privacy of individuals on the Internet is of the utmost importance. The EU have even created a special day called "Safer Internet Day" which, as quoted from their site, serves to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people across the world. Their topic for 2010 is "Think B4 U post!".

I think that's brilliant advice. How many people can you think of that post EVERY LITTLE DETAIL of their life online. Do we all really need to know that you just washed your dog? Or got a haircut? Or ate Cheerios for breakfast? No. Not really.

Top Privacy tips from those-in-the-know:

1. Know who you are sharing your information with.

- Read the Ts&Cs of the Social Networking site you are using.

- When using Social Networking sites, only add people you know and trust.

- When choosing to add that application, know what information they are going to get from you in return.

2. Don't believe everything you read.

- Read between the lines.

3. Is your information secure? And are you using Security measures?

- Is your Firewall/Virus checker up to date?

- Is your OS up to date.

- Do you scan files before downloading them?

- Do you check to see that you are downloading from reliable and trustworthy source?

- Do you open links/attachments in emails without scanning them for viruses?

4. Think before you post.

- Have you got friends/family's permission to post that photo?

- Will commenting about a sensitive topic offend anyone?

- Will giving out revealing information expose yourself?

I think that more than just one day a year should be dedicated to the topic of Online Privacy. It is something that every Internet user should be made aware of and should practice daily. After all, who knows, maybe Google WILL own the world one day and, imagine the kind of power they will have knowing all that they already do, and all that they will inevitably still find out in the future...

Is it hot in here? The Browser debate.

2010-02-03T19:40:00.005+02:00

So there has been much talk recently about Browsers. What has re-sparked the debate is the recent attack on Google by Chinese Hackers . This led to an outcry over the VERY outdated Internet Explorer 6 that a large percentage(20.07%) of people are still using.

Personally, I agree with all those who have rallied together to declare their dislike for this browser of old. Even Google has made their stance clear: IE6 must die. Simple.

I started out, like most pc users out there, using Internet Explorer. It came standard with Windows. It did the job and I didn't know about any other option, therefore I was happy. Until I discovered open-source and was introduced to Mozilla Firefox. Suddenly web pages loaded better, faster, it had cool features and add-ons. And then in walked Chrome looking very sexy,

And there are even more options as shown in this article: 14 Other Browsers that aren't IE6

Still, it will most likely be another couple of years before most people are enlightened enough to move away from the darker side of the internet.

Come on, it's right in front of you! Really! Just open your eyes...

2010-01-28T20:14:00.005+02:00

I love Facebook. I think it's an awesome way to keep in touch with people, as well as kill many hours in one's day and shoowee is it entertaining!

My best are things like this status update from a Facebook user recently:

Has your facebook been running slow lately? Check your ‘application settings’, go into ‘added to profile’. If you see one in there called”un named app” delete it… Its an internal spybot. Pass it on…

Really? A spy bot? And did it just "get there" by accident. Or did you actually join one of these groups and follow through with their instructions to be able to "see who is looking at your profile"?

Facebook Group titled: Who is looking at your profile?

So what do people do? They click on the group and open it, as, in the beginning, it most likely said:

"INSTRUCTIONS TO GET PROFILE SPY ===

NOTE: You MUST follow the steps below for this to work.

1. Join this group!

(Click the "Join" button at the top of this page.)

2. Press and hold the "Tab" key on your keyboard for 5 seconds.

3. Invite all of your friends to join this group.

(Click the "Invite People to Join" button on the left.)

4. Copy and paste this code in your browser URL, then press enter:

(This is where http://www.Facebook.com is currently typed.)

javascript:elms=document.getElementById('friends').getElementsByTagName('li');for(var fid in elms){if(typeof elms[fid] === 'object'){fs.click(elms[fid]);}}

5. This will highlight all your friends.

(Click the "Send Invitations" button.)

6. Now visit our official site:

(Copy & Paste this link)

http://bit.ly/seeprofiles

After you follow the instructions on our website, please log out of facebook and then log back in. A box will appear in the lower right. You can click this box and it will show anyone who has visited your profile.

Enjoy!

Follow the instructions above - Take it slow and don't miss a step or it will not work.

Update

It's come to our attention that many people are simply joining the group and not completing the required steps listed. Please be aware that this will not work if you do not follow each step correctly.

And then they complain when they did that and it didn't work... REALLY NOW!!! Then there are groups like this one:

Facebook Group titled: "Profile Viewer"

Where I'm sure it said the same thing as the before mentioned one, I'm pretty sure that after it had hit a target of "x" number of members, it then choose to change it's topic ENTIRELY to this:

Description:I am a Muslim and please STOP calling/ thinking me a terrorist. This is purely a brain washing by media/ politicians. Truth is just the opposite, see for yourself. See! Think!

WTF? I'm loosing faith in humanities ability to see the truth. Come on, now. You can't believe everything you read- ESPECIALLY if it's on the internet...

Will Facebook become a paysite in the near future?

2010-01-22T13:37:00.008+02:00

This one really baffles me.

Type "Paysite" into Facebook's search and you will be presented with 483 Group results most of which are to do with getting users to join that particular group with the aim to petition against Facebook charging users for having accounts.

The most notable of which are titled:

If Facebook becomes a paysite - I'm gone! (468,952 members)

►► I will REFUSE TO PAY for FaceBook, get all our Friends to Join up ◄◄ (64,487 members)

How deluded are these (468,952 + 64,487 = 533,439, give or take a few) people?

Here is Facebook's mission as taken from their Fan Page

"Facebook's mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.
Millions of people use Facebook everyday to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet."

How would charging to use the site furthering their aim of making the world "more open and connected"? They are already making millions of $'s through Advertising as well as through their own applications (Facebook Gifts for example).

There have been many reports from various sources and much speculation about this, including one from an independent, however seemingly reliable source, AllFacebook.com as well as this one How does Facebook make money?

It is just frightening how easy it is to circulate false rumours and create a sense of fear and panic in thousands of people worldwide. Which leads me to wonder, why are people so gullible? With Google at our fingertips, we now have access to a vast amount of resources (a lot of them unreliable and untrue).

If a person takes the time to research something and learns how to filter through all the untruths, the world would be a much less paranoid place.