The New Privacy Controls of Facebook

Many of us have heard of Facebook and we are also aware of their myriad of security problems. It is almost daily that someone is on the news about how their personal information was harvested from the Facebook servers. This is what has prompted Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to create a whole new set of security controls for the site. The big thing that many people are wondering about is whether they are really helpful or just more smoke to make us feel secure. While the controls have really been passed to the user to implement, they are not all bad. There is still a long way for Facebook to go before anyone is near secure, but at least they are trying. Since Zuckerberg is a little too young to have any type of experience with security (I think he turns 12 next month), it would really be better for him to look outside the organization to find a true solution. For now, you will have to be content with the weak attempts that are being made. Here is a look at the new controls and some things that you can do to increase your security.

About the only thing that the new controls have to them is a user control panel. This will allow you to set up which control methods you want to use for your account and set the amount of information that you want to share. This is a big step for Facebook, since they pride themselves on the ability to share everything. In the past, you would have to share everything or nothing with the rest of the internet, but with the new tools, you are now able to pick certain things that you want to share. While this does not sound like much of an improvement, and it really isn't, it does allow those that feel they must use all of their real life information and private data the ability to keep it hidden. While this is a step in the right direction, not requiring this information would be much safer. One word of advice is to not list this information or at least not the real information. Set up a free POP mail account with Yahoo, AOL, or Google that you don't mind getting some junk mail in. This will allow you to post the email account for people to share things or contact you, but you don't risk your personal information. If it gets flooded with junk mail, get a new one, they are cheap enough (usually free). If you feel that you have to post a phone number, use an old one or one that you don't answer. The only real information that you should put on there is your name and age. This will help you to find the friends and classmates, without risking your personal information and identity.

Application security has also been upgraded. This is the part that has many people in an uproar about. The individual applications that run on Facebook (Farmville, Café World, etc.) store a lot of private data about you. Once again, this is only a problem for those that put their true personal data on their account. Basically, these applications store your data so that they can e-mail you when there are updates and so you can store your progress on your account. Another reason is that these applications make money from your data. The developers of the applications can harvest your personal data and sell it to a social network mining company. They can make a mint on selling your data to all sorts of people. From identity thieves to ad companies, your phone numbers and e-mail addresses are being sold on the open market. If you have not so up to date information, there is no need to worry, but for those that use their real numbers and information, you can get hurt. It is only a matter of time before an identity thief is using your name and information to get a job, a house, a car, a loan, and just taking off and stiffing you with the bill. The new safety settings limit the amount of information that you share with these applications. You can set defaults in your new security control panel that will keep this information secret from these applications. You will want to max these out. Do not share anything more than your Facebook account and Facebook e-mail for the program to run.

While some controls are good and anything to slow identity theft is a good thing, these new controls are way too little, way too late. Facebook is where people go to steal identities. This is like a factory for this type of activity with many people selling them wholesale at the front door. The problem is not necessarily with the accounts. If you are "smart" enough to publish all of your personal data on an unsecured website, maybe you should have your identity stolen. The problem is the server side. Facebook has lulled people in a false sense of security. They think that their accounts are safe and they can post personal data. The Facebook server is where the real crimes occur. There are several high school and even middle school kids that can hack the servers and get whatever they want about anyone. This is where the security needs to be upgraded. This lack of security is the glistening problem, but Zuckerberg is not paying any attention to this. While he makes it harder for users to access their accounts and play the games that they have the account for, the problem is getting worse on the server side. This false sense of security that is increased with the new "security" features will make people feel safer, when the danger is still just as bad as ever.

One thing is for sure and always will be; never post personal information on the internet. You cannot even trust bank or government sites. There are many occasions where people have had their information stolen from these types of sites, and their security is like Fort Knox compared to Facebook. No matter what type of site you are using, only share the least amount of information as possible. If this includes using outdated phone numbers or address, that may be better. There are certain occasions when you cannot use outdated information. When this happens, check for the green address bar that says the site is secure or check the address for the "https:". This lets you know that the site at least has a little security to it. All information online is vulnerable and social networking sites are the worst in security. You want better controls, don't use your information.

Sources:

Facebook Aiming For a More social Web

How Facebook's New Privacy Controls Work

Facebook Overhauls Privacy Controls

Facebook Answers Critics With New Privacy Controls