Entries from August 2011 ↓
August 12th, 2011 | Online Reputation Management, Privacy, Quick Hits, Social Networking | Rob Frappier
In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about LinkedIn’s privacy problem and a Canadian politician’s porn problem, as well as some tips on how to protect your privacy and security on social networking websites.
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Two months ago, LinkedIn began something called Social Ads, in which the website used user information as part of in-site advertising. LinkedIn has since received considerable negative press over the feature, particularly with regard to the fact that users were opted in to the program by default. In response, LinkedIn has tweaked Social Ads to not feature a user’s picture. The company also released a statement apologizing for the faux-pas and pointing out that it could have made the change more visible at the time.
A political candidate in Canada was recently embarrassed to discover that someone had posted links to pornographic websites on his Facebook profile. The candidate, who admits to not being computer savvy, is unsure how the links ended up on his profile, but acknowledged the possibility that it could be a political opponent.
Yesterday, MSNBC tech reporter Rosa Golijan hosted a live Q&A dealing with online privacy and security issues. The Q&A discussed how to keep safe on social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter. The entire Q&A is still accessible at MSNBC and features a lot of interesting information.
August 11th, 2011 | Facebook, Legal Issues, Online Reputation Management, Parenting, Privacy, Student Online Reputation, Twitter | Rob Frappier
In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about Twitter’s new features, why sexting is an issue for schools (even if teens disagree), and why Rebecca Black of “Friday” fame had to drop out of school.
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Twitter is rolling out a handful of changes to its popular micro-blogging service, and many of them appear to be taken from social networking kingpin Facebook. This article from MSNBC describes the new features and why Twitter users may like and dislike the ability to see more information about who is interacting with them and what their followers are doing.
In a feature for the New York Times, several teens share their thoughts on sexting, the practice of sending nude or sexually provocative photos of oneself to others via mobile devices or online. Disturbingly, the teens interviewed don’t seem to think sexting is a big deal, even as they acknowledge that the photos routinely get shared with the whole school. For instance, one teen says “About three photos go viral each year and a third of the school sees them.” Simultaneously, however, teens don’t understand the ramifications of sexting. At the end of the article, a different teen is shocked to learn that sexting is actually against the law.
While teens may not think sexting is a big issue, educators and lawmakers disagree. For instance, should two teens who send nude photos back and forth be charged as sex criminals? This article from the Northwest Indiana Times discusses a new Indiana law that clarifies the issue of sexting, making it more difficult for children to be arrested and charged with child pornography for sharing nude photos with their peers. The article also discusses how texting and social media have contributed to bullying, and some of the steps schools have taken to discourage online harassment.
Rebecca Black, whose embarrassing music video Friday caused her international fame (or infamy) after racking up millions of views on YouTube, recently revealed that she had to drop out of her school after being bullied about the song. Black, who is now being home schooled, continues to maintain a positive attitude, saying “one thing that you can’t do is let them stop you from doing what you want to do.” The Internet celebrity singer is now trying to build a real recording career.
Several weeks ago, the state of Missouri banned teachers from interacting with students on social media websites. Since that time, educators and parents have been trying to work out the specifics of the rules, and figure out a way to keep positive interactions from getting swept aside by a blanket ban. This article and segment from The Early Show on CBS talks about the first amendment issues at stake in Missouri’s decision as well as other ways that parents can help keep their children safe online.
August 10th, 2011 | Facebook, Google, Legal Issues, Online Reputation Management, Parenting, Privacy, Quick Hits, Social Networking | Rob Frappier
In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about the New York Police Department’s plans to use social media to catch criminals and the epic fight between Facebook and Google+.
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In an effort to capitalize on the number of criminals who boast about their crimes online, the NYPD has announced the formation of new units that will “mine social media, looking for info about troublesome house parties, gang showdowns and other potential mayhem,” according to the New York Daily News (via Mashable). This is not the first time that a law enforcement agency has used social media in its crime fighting efforts, as numerous local, state, and federal outfits have also turned to social media to help identify criminals.
In a note at its Facebook Safety page, Facebook announced several changes to how users report offensive content on the site. In a series of screenshots, Facebook shows how it has improved the reporting function so that users can better specify their issue, request to have a photo taken down, connect with a “trusted friend” for assistance, or block a bully. The changes are specifically geared at helping young Facebook users deal with online harassment and cyberbullying.
This week, numerous reports declared that factions of the hacking group Anonymous were planning to hack Facebook later this year. Now, several of the loosely-knit group’s more prominent voices have declared that the Facebook operation is the work of only a few members and is not supported by Anonymous as a whole. According to ZDNet, the Twitter account for AnonOps wrote in a message, “#OpFacebook is being organised by some Anons. This does not necessarily mean that all of #Anonymous agrees with it.” The apparent lack of support for the campaign is a good indication that it will not have a strong impact on Facebook’s operations.
It is no secret that Europe and the United States of America have widely divergent views on personal privacy policies, but this article by Suzenne Daley in the New York Times shows just how much European governments are doing to give people a “right to be forgotten.” It would seem that European citizens agree, as well. According to the Times, “Three out of four [European Union citizens] said they were worried about how Internet companies used their information and wanted the right to delete personal data at any time. Ninety percent wanted the European Union to take action on the right to be forgotten.”
Since Google rolled out its Google+ social network earlier this summer, nearly every story on the service has focused on whether it will be able to compete with Facebook. Taking that question to a whole new level, SingleGrain devised a special infographic pitting Google+ against Facebook. The infographic, shared via The Atlantic, details the rapid rise of Google+ in comparison to the sheer size of Facebook.
August 9th, 2011 | Facebook, Google, Legal Issues, Online Reputation Management, Privacy, Quick Hits, Research | Rob Frappier
In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about prisoners on social media and how social media might help send some London rioters to prison. Also, news on how Facebook affects children’s brains.
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As violence continues to grip parts of London, a loose coalition of citizens are turning to the Web to clean up the city and bring looters to justice. TechCrunch writes about one Google group that plans to use facial recognition technology to identify rioters. A similar tactic was used following the post-Stanley Cup riots in Vancouver. TechCrunch asks whether this practice is ethical, calling it “crowdsource justice.”
In a first of its kind case, a teacher in Northern Ireland has been granted an injunction preventing her ex-boyfriend from posting a sex video of her online. The woman alleges that her ex had threatened to post the video on Facebook, and also to send it to her bosses and her students. According to the BBC, the woman’s lawyers correctly claimed that “any clips could spread uncontrollably if they were allowed to be uploaded,” which is why a preemptive injunction was necessary.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has asked Facebook to assist in removing the Facebook profiles of criminals in state prisons. According to Corrections Department Secretary Matthew Cate, “access to social media allows inmates to circumvent our monitoring process and continue to engage in criminal activity.” In some cases, prisoners also use Facebook to harass their victims from afar.
Psychologist Larry D. Rosen recently presented a report entitled “Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids” to the American Psychological Associtation. In his presentation, Rosen highlighted numerous findings about Facebook’s impact on children, including both positive and negative effects. The Atlantic Wire reports some of Rosen’s discoveries, including the good news that Facebook makes kids more empathetic and the bad news that Facebook can lower kids’ self-esteem.
Black Hat, the famous security conference attended by the world’s foremost experts in hacking, is well-known for exposing significant security vulnerabilities in popular technology. CNET’s Declan McCullagh writes that Black Hat researchers recently showed how it is possible to bypass Windows’ built-in encryption tools to access password data for e-mail and websites like Facebook that has been stored in the cloud. In response to the vulnerability, Microsoft encouraged its users to use its BitLocker tool to encrypt their hard drives.
August 8th, 2011 | Facebook, Online Reputation Management, Privacy, Quick Hits | Rob Frappier
In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about ways to avoid a Facebook stalker, why more recruiters are turning to Facebook, and why oversharing is contributing to a culture that trivializes privacy.
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In an interesting article for MarketWatch, Jon Friedman discusses how he “beat” a pseudo-stalker who had been persistently bothering him on Facebook. Friedman’s article teaches an important lesson: “Social media, for all of the hubbub, is still in its infancy.” Many people are still unsure of the etiquette they should use online and the results can be embarrassing.
In his Forbes blog, innovation expert Chunka Mui explains why Facebook’s myriad privacy issues are even more pronounced than most people realize. Specifically, Mui highlights Alessandro Acquisti’s recent Carnegie Mellon University study, which revealed how Facebook can effectively be used as a national identification service and how researching Facebook photos can reveal partial social security numbers. In his article, Mui makes the important point that these kinds of issues will continue to grow without proper intervention. Quoting the article, “The technology will get better, and the information that feeds it will grow,” leading to even greater data threats.
As Facebook continues to grow, the website is becoming an important asset for hiring managers and job recruiters. This article from Fox News, originally published in the Wall Street Journal, discusses how hiring managers use Facebook contacts to fill positions and why the growth of Facebook as a recruiting tool could threaten professional social networking websites like LinkedIn.
For better or worse, most people know how to act when they learn an acquaintance has died in real life. However, the issue becomes much more complicated when the acquaintance is an online friend on Facebook or LinkedIn. This article from the Salt Lake Tribune talks about how to handle the death of an online friend, and what is the proper etiquette when it comes to de-friending the deceased.
In a strongly-worded op-ed, the Winnipeg Free Press takes social media oversharers to task for trivializing privacy concerns with mundane updates about their daily lives. Quoting the article, “We as a society have become willing slaves to social media and in the process happily sacrificed any semblance of personal privacy.” While that might be an overstatement, it does speak to the importance of personal responsibility when it comes to sharing online.
