Protecting your online security

[wemorgan]

I thought I was quite clued up with regards to my online security. My Facebook page is only open to friends and my friends are genuine friends, not just random people I met once at a party. So I was very surprised that today at my flat I was contact by two journalists that I had no wish to be. No harm was done, but I just wished they had not approached me. I suspect it’s most likely that my Facebook profile, whilst secure, did show my home town and maybe with that information a further search found my home address. So I’ve now removed that information, not only on Facebook but on my other online profiles.

Just to be clear, I’ve nothing to hide but also don’t wish for strangers to appear at my front door. So this post is just a warning to others to be careful about what you and your family share online, as even the most basic information can lead someone to you.

 

[Howard]

Journos showed up at your door ?

 

[moonloops]

Both facebook and apple have major holes in their apps. Personal information including location, gender, age, sexual preference are being passed to applications and advertisers.

 

[LTD]

Tell us more about what the journos asked

 

[trapperjohn]

I feel a "No Comment" coming up!!

 

[wemorgan]

On my part part it's very dull, they were barking up the wrong tree as I know nothing, but that was more than I was prepared to tell them.

But the point of the thread being, just be careful what information you share in good faith.

 

[flango]

I thought I was quite clued up with regards to my online security. My Facebook page is only open to friends and my friends are genuine friends, not just random people I met once at a party. So I was very surprised that today at my flat I was contact by two journalists that I had no wish to be. No harm was done, but I just wished they had not approached me. I suspect it’s most likely that my Facebook profile, whilst secure, did show my home town and maybe with that information a further search found my home address. So I’ve now removed that information, not only on Facebook but on my other online profiles.

Just to be clear, I’ve nothing to hide but also don’t wish for strangers to appear at my front door. So this post is just a warning to others to be careful about what you and your family share online, as even the most basic information can lead someone to you.

Even if you put your settings to private just so its your friends you accept, there is a piece of software doing the rounds that just blitzes past security and exposes whatever you have entered into facebook, that's why I deleted my account very insecure social networking site.

 

[Godot]

 

[Sp!ke]

I dont have a facebook account but do use it to my advantage sometimes when needing to research individuals. Regardless how secure your own settings are, your security is only as good as the weakest security of any one of your friends.

It is a very powerful tool for anyone intent on doing damage or harm and so few people realise how vulnerable it makes them.

 

[crockers]

Must be an age thing. But what is this big thing about facebook? Don't have it - don't want it. Why do people enjoy telling others everything they do every minute of the day. Weird.

 

[wemorgan]

Facebook can be used in many different ways, like any form of communication. For me, it's an extension to email, I can share photos, read friend's comments and vica versa. It's a way of loosely staying in touch with friends I wish I could met up more often with.

 

[trainer]

My wife uses it to promote her business at minimal cost. She has now launched a beauty training school and Facebook will be good to spread the word. I however have got bored and rarely bother with it. I post pictures but nothing that is private.

 

[verytalldave]

I used to have both a facebook and myspace accounts.
Both were a bit of a waste of time - and I didnt really like the idea anyway.
So I closed both many moons ago.
Its simply nothing more than an open email to the world.
They are too easy to hack into and get personal details.
If you dont really have a legitimate use for one of these accounts - or you dont mind the world having access to your "private" details, then go ahead.
As the OP found these accounts are not private or secure.

 

[st13phil]

<thread hijack>

Hi VTD... Great to see you back again!

</thread hijack>

 

[corned]

Food for thought, Will. Thanks.

I have just gone into my FB account to adjust some settings.

 

[Ade B]

I have put a fair bit of personal info out there via Linkedin and my website and blog - mainly business orientated. Don't do FB but Mrs B uses it to stay in touch with overseas network..

One worrying thing I've recently noticed is google's online photo storage picasa now asks if you wish to name faces which the software automatically recognises. The implications of this sort of thing are pretty sinister.

Ade

 

[wemorgan]

I agree Ade. I also went through all my online Picassa albums to remove some albums and change the security level on others. It's amazing how wide ones online footprint is spread over the years.

 

[Rory]

I have put a fair bit of personal info out there via Linkedin and my website and blog - mainly business orientated. Don't do FB but Mrs B uses it to stay in touch with overseas network..

One worrying thing I've recently noticed is google's online photo storage picasa now asks if you wish to name faces which the software automatically recognises. The implications of this sort of thing are pretty sinister.

Ade

I use LinkedIn - it's very popular in the "Hi-Tech" world - but I find it scary the way it knows who you might know. Quite a lot of people hide their contacts now, and seeing those was its main use to me.

 

[Charles Morgan]

I posted one photo from Photobucket to Facebook, to discover that rendered the whole of my photobucket account available to others, which was then highlighted by a nice, but extraordinarily nosey wife of a friend posting all the photos she liked in the account onto Facebook.

Needless to say there was nothing remotely problematic about any photos in that account - mainly Mercedes and photos of various lunches, but it really annoyed me that both providers gave not a flying fig for privacy. I don't use Facebook much other than the occasional comment on others' comments, but now it is off-limits and I will be deleting all photobucket photos that haven't been posted on-line.

 

[Ade B]

I use LinkedIn - it's very popular in the "Hi-Tech" world - but I find it scary the way it knows who you might know. Quite a lot of people hide their contacts now, and seeing those was its main use to me.

I've recently hidden my contacts (which is sort of counter the point of Linkedin) but more to protect my client list from competitors than fear of exposure.

My take is provided you bear in mind the various vested interests in the free cloud and networking set ups available out there and keep an eye on security nothing really bad should happen. You can get paranoid about these things.. we used to have our name and address in the phonebook.


Ade