In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about how to manage your privacy on the new Facebook, the problem with firing employees over social media, and actress Scarlett Johansson’s first official response to her recent nude photo scandal.

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Protecting Your Privacy on the New Facebook

As Facebook’s massive redesign rolls out to the site’s more than 800 million users in the coming weeks, it is important that users consider how the change will affect their personal privacy. This article from Mashable details how to manage all of the new features on Facebook, including advice on how to keep old embarrassing information doesn’t pop up on your Timeline, how to prevent Facebook’s “Frictionless Sharing” from sharing too much of your content, and how to double-check which apps are allowed to share information on your profile.

Employers Confused Over Whether They Can Fire Employees for Social Media

This article from Reuters discusses how employers are struggling to come up with social media policies that allow them to terminate employees for inappropriate online activity. Because certain negative speech is protected, mainly comments about working conditions made to other employees, the National Labor Relations Board has forced companies to rehire employees that they fired for online comments.

Woman Uses Facebook Baby Photos in Bizarre Revenge Ploy

Many parents like to share pictures of their babies online, but this story may give them pause. Yahoo Shine has the bizarre story of one woman who downloaded pictures of her friend’s baby and passed them off as pictures of her own child in order to get back at an ex-boyfriend. The woman, who told her ex that the child was his, was eventually exposed when a mutual friend of the couple recognized the baby as someone else’s child. Following the strange revenge scheme, the woman was fired from her job as a school teacher.

Schools Weigh Risk of Facebook

The Christian Science Monitor reports how schools across the country are struggling to balance the benefits of social media technology, such as enhanced communication between parents, teachers, and students, with the risks, namely cyber-bullying. The article discusses the issue in the context of a recent Missouri law that limits social media contact between teachers and students. Prior to revisions to the law, the Missouri proposal was criticized for being overly broad and potentially banning teachers from using social media technology at all.

Scarlett Johansson Calls Nude Photo Leak “Unjust”

Scarlett Johansson has spoken out about her recent nude photo scandal, calling the invasion of privacy “unjust” and “wrong.” Following the photo leak, Johansson and her attorneys worked quickly to have the photos removed from the top gossip sites where they appeared, but the images spread far and wide so quickly that it’s likely impossible for them to ever be fully removed from the Internet.

In today’s Quick Hits, we offer advice for parents of bullies, ponder what happens to our digital profiles when we die, share the story of a fugitive busted by Facebook, and consider how a big celebrity’s Twitter complaint might hurt one’s online reputation.

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What if You’re the One Raising a Bully?

A recent study showed that 77% of kids have reported being bullied at some point. While the number of bullying victims is staggering, it begs an important question. If so many kids are being bullied, then there must be a lot of bullies, and that means that parents need to consider the unfortunate possibility that their son or daughter is the bully. This article from The Stir advises parents on ways to determine if their child is a bully and steps to take to limit bullying behavior.

Fate of Digital Assets ‘Vague’ After Death

This AFP article poses some interesting questions: “When you die, does your Facebook account die with you? Or that online photo album? What about your iTunes playlist, blogs or tweets?” As we live more and more of our lives online, the issue of what happens to our online content after we die has become more complex. Most websites aren’t equipped to deal with the digital death of a user, and so what happens is that an individual’s online content is trapped in a sort-of limbo. This unusual circumstance has spurred the creation of a small economy focused around digital afterlife services, that help an individual’s surviving relatives manage his or her accounts after death.

Fugitive Arrested Thanks to a Facebook Check-in

Arizona police arrested a man wanted in Oregon for negligent child support after they were tipped off to his location by someone who saw the fugitive “check-in” to a restaurant on Facebook. This is not the first story of a criminal getting caught because of Facebook. Recently, an Italian mobster was arrested after investigators tracked him down via his girlfriend’s Facebook photos.

Alec Baldwin Calls Out a Starbucks Employee on Twitter

If someone calls you out for doing a bad job on Twitter, it might not look to good to your boss. But when that person is Hollywood actor Alex Baldwin, it’s especially bad. Baldwin recently took to Twitter to criticize a Starbucks employee that he thought had an attitude problem. One can argue that Baldwin’s complaint should be taken with a grain of salt (“You know how those prima donna celebrities are.”) but this story demonstrates how important it is for businesses and their employees to always be thinking about how their actions can lead to a negative online reputation.

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about a new Microsoft study, a huge privacy breach involving 20,000 hospital patients, and one Applebee’s worker’s stand for self-expression online.

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Microsoft Study Shows More Than Half of U.S. Teens Don’t Consider Consequences of Online Actions

A new Microsoft study shows that “before posting personal information online, more than half of U.S. teens and parents don’t truly consider the potential consequences of their actions.” The study also showed that while teens recognize “the importance of limiting what they share online,” they still reveal more personal data than their parents and that 6 in 10 teens admit to having “friends” online that they have never met in real life. This data reveals the importance of online reputation management and digital citizenship – two important issues that Microsoft is addressing through a new white paper called “Fostering Digital Citizenship” and a Teen Reputation Guide.

Stanford University Medical Breach Affects 20,000 Patients

The New York Times reports that “a medical privacy breach at Stanford University’s hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., led to the public posting of medical records for 20,000 emergency room patients, including names and diagnosis codes, on a commercial Web site for nearly a year.” This isn’t the first time that medical data has been exposed online. The Times writes that “records compiled by the Department of Health and Human Services reveal that personal medical data for more than 11 million people has been improperly exposed during the last two years alone.”

Applebee’s Worker Threatened with Termination for Refusal to Sign Agreement Prohibiting Negative Comments

An Applebee’s worker claims that his job has been threatened by his refusal to sign an agreement from his employer that restricts his right to post negative content about Applebee’s online. The man, who has had no problems with the company in the past, says that he is concerned the agreement would stifle his freedom of expression. The Applebee’s story comes at an interesting time. The National Labor Relations Board recently issued a report outlining when companies can and can’t fire employees for their online profiles and a judge ruled that several non-profit employees were unjustly fired for their Facebook comments.

Facebook Explains Difficulty of Policing Under-13 Age Restriction

The Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA) requires companies to block children under the age of 13 from accessing their websites. But this is often easier said than done, especially if you’re Facebook, the world’s largest social networking website. This article from ZDNet discusses how Facebook approaches the problem and why the website claims that “it is difficult is to implement age restrictions on the Internet and that there is no single solution to ensuring younger children don’t circumvent a system or lie about their age.”

Mobile App ‘Blendr’ Helps Users Hook Up

New York Times tech reporter Jenna Wortham writes about a new mobile app called Blendr, which combines social networking with location check-in technology to help users “find someone to meet nearby, right now.” The app includes some privacy restrictions, including the ability to narrowly tailor what type of person can access one’s profile, but it is still likely something that a privacy-conscious individual would be leery to use. Nevertheless, the creator of Blendr’s previous mobile app Grindr (which offers a similar service for the gay community) has been very successful with 2.6 million users, proving the viability of the concept.

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about an unusual criminal case in Mexico, a recently discovered Facebook flaw, one dad’s beef with Facebook, and some advice for college students on online reputation management.

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Two in Mexico Face 30 Years in Prison for Twitter Updates

Two people in Mexico are facing up to 30 years in prison for allegedly causing a panic with their Twitter updates. The Huffington Post reports that the individuals tweeted updates about an alleged attack at a local school where gunmen were kidnapping children. The reports turned out to be untrue, but the panic caused by the messages supposedly led to 28 car accidents and the collapse of the emergency response telephone system. The defendants in the case say that they weren’t tweeting maliciously, but were merely passing on information that they had heard. Numerous civil rights groups have petitioned for the pair to face lesser charges.

Facebook Flaw Allows Administrators to Get Kicked Off Their Own Pages

A flaw in Facebook allows page administrators to remove the original creator of the page. ZDNet explains that, while it is the original creator who assigns the administrators, new admins shouldn’t be able to remove the original creator according to Facebook’s written policy. This flaw poses a security risk, because “if [an admin] account gets hijacked by someone else, in addition to their account, your Facebook Page could be taken over as well.”

Dad Sues Facebook Over 12-Year-Old Daughter’s Racy Pictures

A dad in Northern Ireland is suing Facebook after discovering sexually provocative pictures of his 12-year-old daughter on the site. The dad argues that Facebook isn’t doing enough to enforce its own policy of restricting children 13 and under from accessing the site. Of course, it’s nothing new for under-13 kids to join Facebook, either with or without permission. In May, a Facebook spokesperson said that the site bans 20,000 underage Faceook accounts everyday.

Students Must be Aware of Their Online Reputations

This article in the Toronto Sun explains why students need to be extra careful about protecting their online reputations. Quoting the article, “It used to be that a university student could go out to a wild party, drink their face off, pull some embarrassing stunts before stumbling home and the only record would be a conversation among friends later. Not that we’re condoning the behaviour, but at least it only existed over a 24-hour period.  These days, it’s all archived. And the people paying attention could be the ones writing your future paycheque.”

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about a poorly planned social media promotion by Qantas, why you should secure your Google account, the social media savvy of Canadian teens, and an interesting case involving sexy photos on a stolen laptop.

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Qantas Apologizes Over ‘Blackface’ Photo in Promotional Contest

Qantas sheepishly apologized to the public after the Australian airline chose a picture of two men wearing blackface as the winner of a promotional contest. According to the Daily Mail, “The airline had offered two tickets to the deciding game of the Bledisloe Cup between Australia and New Zealand national rugby teams in Brisbane on Saturday night… The tickets were awarded to two Wallabies fans who dressed up in ‘afro’ wigs, daubed black paint on their faces and wore the Australian rugby green-and-gold uniform. The pair said they were copying their ‘favourite player’, Fijian-born flanker Wallabies flanker Radike Samo, by blacking up their faces, arms and legs.” While Samo himself was not offended by the fans, even posing for a picture with them, members of the public expressed outrage at the “racist” photos, leading Qantas to remove the offending tweet and issue an apology.

How To Secure Your Google Accounts

From Gmail to Google Reader, avid Google users may have a lot of information tied up in their Google accounts. As Angela West at PCWorld explains, “For many of us, a Gmail password is not just a Gmail password. It’s a passport to our Google Docs account, our AdWords campaigns, our personal Google calendars, Google Docs, and more. That’s not to mention access to Gmail itself, through which someone can find tax returns, private email conversations, and other data to pull off identity or credit card theft. If you are using Google business apps, you risk damage to your company if staff members’ accounts are insecure.”

In the rest of her article, West offers four tips on how to secure your Google account from hackers and keep your personal information protected.

Canadian Youth More Likely to Use Privacy Filters Online

Younger Canadian social media users are more likely to share content online, but they are also more likely to use privacy filters to protect their content. Quoting a CBC report, “a study released on Aug. 25 by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner found those aged 18 to 34 are more likely to use social media sites, but are also more likely to be aware of and to use restrictive privacy controls compared to older Canadians.” Just because teens are digital natives, however, doesn’t mean they are always using social media safely. As one researcher explains, “although teens may be more familiar with the technology, they are also less mature and more likely to take risks in terms of what they post.”

Court Case Raises Interesting Questions About Privacy of Information on Stolen Laptops

Forbes privacy blogger Kashmir Hill writes about an interesting new court case that delves into some complex privacy issues. The case involves a school teacher who unknowingly purchased a stolen laptop from a student. The teacher then used the laptop to share sexually explicit material with her long-distance boyfriend. When the school tracked the laptop using remote access software, they were able to gain access to the explicit content and shared it with police. The police then contacted the teacher over the laptop and bullied her about the pictures. Now, the teacher is suing the school and police department for an invasion of privacy in sharing the photos. Traditionally, content on a stolen piece of property would not be protected, but because the teacher was unaware that the laptop was stolen, a judge has decided to let the case proceed.

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about Google’s historic settlement over illegal ads, how social media use is linked to higher levels of substance abuse in teens, and what Facebook’s new privacy settings mean for users.

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Google Pays $500 Million in Settlement Over Illegal Pharmaceutical Ads

In one of the largest settlements in U.S. history, Google has agreed to pay $500 million in damages after a Department of Justice investigation determined that the company violated U.S. laws by allowing Canadian pharmacies to advertise and sell drugs to U.S. consumers. Google has suspended this practice and apologized for the advertisements.

Social Media Use Linked to Higher Rates of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Teens

According to a new survey commissioned by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, teenaged social network users were “five times more likely to report using tobacco (10 percent versus 2 percent), three times more likely to say they used alcohol (26 percent versus 9 percent) and twice as likely to admit using marijuana (13 percent versus 7 percent).” It’s important to note that the survey doesn’t show a causal link between social media and substance abuse, but that certain elements of social networking can contribute to relaxed attitudes about alcohol and drug use.

HR Magazine: Why Facebook Searches on Job Hunters Should Be Banned

In an article for HR Magazine, Paul Deakin argues that screening job applicants based on their social media profiles causes hiring managers to prejudge candidates unfairly and should be banned. Quoting Deakin, “By their very nature, social networking sites are not naturally respectful of privacy, reputation and control which is something both HR professionals and job applicants should take into account.”

Microsoft Deletes “Supercookie”

According to The Register, “Microsoft has deleted code on its MSN website that secretly logged visitors’ browsing histories across multiple web properties, even when the users deleted browser cookies to elude tracking.” These so-called “supercookies” are practically impossible to opt out from and have drawn considerable criticism from privacy advocates.

Wall Street Journal: What Facebook’s new Privacy Settings Mean For You

The Wall Street Journal’s Digits blog has a good report on Facebook’s new privacy controls and how they will affect Facebook users. Reputation.com shared a first look at Facebook’s new privacy controls in a blog post yesterday.

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 Adds Facebook-Like Changes

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.

Teens Treat Sexting as No Big Deal

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.

Schools and Politicians Struggle with Teen Sexting and Social Media Use

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.

Unintentional Viral Sensation Rebecca Black Leaves School Over Bullying

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.

Educators and Parents Dealing with Missouri School Ban on Social Media

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.

In today’s Quick Hits, Groupon has made a big change to its privacy policy, early Google+ users are optimistic about the service, and some thoughts from NPR on kids and social networking.

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Groupon Changes Privacy Policy to Collect More User Information

In advance of its upcoming IPO, the group discount company Groupon is increasing the amount of data it shares with third party companies. Groupon announced its privacy policy changes in an e-mail to customers on Sunday. According to Cecilia Kang at the Washington Post, Groupon said it would “expand the categories of “personal information” it collects and shares with partners, such as Expedia. Now, Groupon will share data on interests and habits with third-parties. Other information it shares includes contact information, relationship information, transaction information and mobile location information.”

Oakland A’s Suspend Pitching Prospect Over Twitter Updates

The Oakland A’s have suspended top pitching prospect Ian Krol for an offensive tweet involving a “gay slur along with some other offensive language.” This is not the first time that an athlete has been suspended for his social networking presence, but Krol’s low follower numbers make this an interesting story. At the time of the update, Krol only had approximately 90 followers. While 90 people is not a significant audience, the A’s organization determined that anything Krol said, no matter how many people he said it to, reflected on the A’s organization as a whole and that a suspension was necessary.

10 Safe Social Networking Websites for Kids

NPR writes about social networking websites for children and how there is a growing demand for such services. Quoting the article, “The need is undeniable; the market potentially huge and lucrative. Companies are gearing up for this gold rush by creating websites strictly for children and websites that allow parents to create profiles for their kids.” The article then lists 10 of the better known social networking websites for kids, including YourSphere from fellow ABC 20/20 Web Avenger Mary Kay Hoal.

When Should Children Join Social Networks?

In another NPR article on social networking for children, Linton Weeks discusses the appropriate age for kids to join social networking websites and how some parents are approaching the issue. Weeks’ article does a good job of discussing the various dangers involved with social networking for young users as well as the possible benefits, citing a number of academic sources.

Understanding Google+ Privacy Settings

As Google’s new social network, Google+, continues to roll out to a larger audience, many tech journalists are on high alert for privacy slip-ups. So far, Google has done a good job with privacy on Google+, earning mostly positive reviews. As the product becomes more popular however, there is potential for even one confusing privacy setting to turn off users. This article in the Wall Street Journal discusses Google+ privacy settings and where the company may run into some problems.

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about the Google+ Project and delve into the lives of Australia’s hard-partying, Facebook-sharing teens.

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Checking out the Google+ Project

Yesterday, Google rolled out its long-awaited social networking feature, the Google+ Project. Initially, only a handful of people were given access to Google+. The folks at Business Insider were among the early users, and they have broken down the entire Google+ Project into 29 slides. If you’re still waiting to check out Google+ for yourself, Business Insider’s tour is a great way to learn more about the product.

Google+ Gets Good Grades on Privacy

One thing that Google has been getting high marks on with Google+ is the company’s deference for user privacy. In an article for CNET, Declan McCullagh writes that Google+’s “Circles” feature makes it easier to group your friends and selectively publish online content. McCullagh also notes that Google+ also has significantly fewer privacy settings, making it easier for users to customize their Google+ accounts than their Facebook accounts.

Charges Dropped Over Mock Violent Facebook Rant

Two years after a New York man left a violent, Fight Club-inspired Facebook rant against an Apple store, a judge has decided to throw out the charges against him. On his Facebook page, the man wrote he “might walk into an Apple store on Fifth Avenue with an Armalite AR-10 gas powered semi-automatic weapon and pump round after round into one of those smug, fruity little concierges,” which is nearly identical to a similar line in the book Fight Club. This incident highlights how one individual’s online content can be misconstrued and cause significant reputation problems.

Australian Teens Share Wild Lives Online

This article in the Sydney Morning Herald offers a disturbing glimpse into the wild, alcohol-fueled lives of Australia’s 17 and 18-year-old teen girls. While the article goes into a wide range of issues surrounding this hard-partying set, one element of the story is worth highlighting. According to the Herald article, these girls not only party, but document every moment of the party to share on Facebook the following day, with no regard for the reputation consequences.

Quoting Gordian Fulde, the director of emergency medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital, from the article: “And these days, if a girl goes out and gets trashed and vomits, maybe even ends up in emergency, they freak out at the time but you can see that they’re getting a badge of honour. The next day the photos will go up on Facebook.” Setting aside the many health risks of binge drinking, this “badge of honor” can quickly become a scarlet letter for these girls as they move on to college or into the adult workforce.

Why Visiting Competitor Websites May Give Away Company Secrets

According to the MIT Tech Review, via Forbes privacy blogger Kashmir Hill, “if you’re not making efforts to anonymize your Web browsing, you may be leaking information to your competitors when visiting their websites.” Kashmir goes on to describe how businesses can track and log IP addresses to their websites and determine who is visiting and from what company. In a highly competitive market, it could be damaging if a competitor learned that you were investigating a specific product or service through your unfiltered IP address.

In today’s Quick Hits, we share an unusual story from Germany as well as some news on social networking legislation.

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California Social Networking Privacy Bill Rejected for Second Time

California State Senator Ellen Corbett’s hotly debated Internet privacy bill was recently rejected by the California Senate for a second time. The bill, SB242, would have forced social networking websites such as Facebook to require users to opt-in to information sharing prior to joining the website. According to the San Jose Mercury News, lobbying by Internet companies played an important role in the rejection of the bill. On her part, Sen. Corbett promises to “vowed to continue working on the issue and organize a summit on Internet privacy.”

16-Year-Old’s Birthday Bash Gets Out of Control After Facebook Mistake

A 16-year-old girl in Hamburg, Germany, didn’t have such a sweet sixteenth after more than 1500 people showed up for her birthday bash. The party, which was accidentally listed as a public event on Facebook, drew a wild bunch of uninvited guests. According to Businss Insider,  ”11 people were temporarily detained, several girls wearing flip-flops cut their feet on broken glass and a garbage can was set on fire” during the night’s rather unusal festivities.

New York Times Op-Ed: When Teachers Talk Outside of School 

In an op-ed for the New York Times, Jonathan Zimmerman writes about the growing number of incidents involving teachers being suspended or fired for inappropriate online comments. While some of these teachers have supporters, Zimmerman believes that “by supporting teachers’ right to rant against students online, we devalue their status as professionals and actually make it harder to protect real academic freedom in the classroom.”

Op-Ed: Support for Do Not Track Kids  

In an op-ed for the Denver Post, Lisa Wirthman writes in support of the Do Not Track Kids Act of 2011. In her article, Lisa says that the bill would improve upon the existing COPPA legislation because it would “include mobile devices and add new privacy protections to prohibit tracking of kids’ online activities for commercial purposes without consent” as well as “require ‘Eraser Buttons’ to allow teens to delete personal data.” The Do Not Track Kids Act is one of the more closely followed bills related to online privacy in Congress.