Facebook Privacy and the Latest Hoax

I've seen a couple of folks requesting me to UNCHECK "LIFE EVENTS" and "COMMENTS & LIKES" for privacy reasons (see below).

So, I researched it and found that it's a HOAX.

Bottom line: Don't uncheck "LIFE EVENTS and "COMMENTS & LIKES" .. b/c if you do, it just means that you won't be seeing that particular friends "LIFE EVENTS and "COMMENTS & LIKES". Facebook is not posting your information to anybody that you haven't already shared your information with.

BOGUS HOAX BELOW:

Just so everyone on my friends list knows that I completed this and I am done! Facebook has changed their privacy settings once more!! Due to the new "graph app" anyone on facebook (including other countries ) can see your pictures, likes & comments. The next 2 weeks I will be posting this, and please once you have done it please post DONE!!! Those of you who do not keep my information from going out to the public, I will have to DELETE YOU! I want to stay PRIVATELY connected with you. I post shots of family that I don't want strangers to have access to! This happens when friends click "like" or "comment"....automatically, their friends would see our posts, too. Unfortunately, we cannot change this setting by ourselves because Faceboook configured it that way. PLEASE place your mouse over my name above (DO NOT CLICK), a window will appear,now move the mouse on "FRIENDS" (also without clicking), then down to "settings", click here and a list will appear. REMOVE the CHECK on "LIFE EVENTS and "COMMENTS & LIKES". By doing this, my activity among my friends and family will no longer become public. Now, copy & paste this on your wall. Once i see this posted on your page, I will do the same

How to Protect Your Privacy on Facebook

There are two main ways to safe guard your personal information on facebook.

1. Update your Privacy Setting to “Friends Only”

To do this, go into your Personal Profile,  click on the gear wheel on the top right hand corner of your screen then click on privacy settings. You can edit all your settings there to be “Friends only” or “friends of friends”.

2. Stay off Facebook

You may think that Facebook, Google and GMail and similar online services are "free".  The fact is they profiting from using your private data.  This practice is called “Data Mining”. Google uses Data Mining everyday when it serves up its Ads.  Highly personalized marketing is effective. So if privacy concerns you, you need to seriously consider getting off the Internet all together.

Summary

This is not my typical software development posting, but it does make the think about the social applications that I develop and the fact that nefarious users may try to abuse my applications in order to create mayhem and confusion.  This is a new socia media type of security concern. Similar security counter measure analysis techniques apply to prevent this sort of events from adversely an application's user population.

References

http://www.facebook.com/help/privacy

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/01/how-protect-your-privacy-facebooks-graph-search

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/technology/personaltech/protecting-your-privacy-on-the-new-facebook.html?_r=0


Sponsor Ads(Please visit one if you liked this article. Thanks!)