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There was a thread I read a while back about facebook privacy where SP/MA's are concerned.

 

So when I read this article about this alarmingly creepy app I couldn't help but think about you ladies. Just a head's up for those who don't already have a beefed up security on their social networking.

 

http://www.cultofmac.com/157641/this-creepy-app-isnt-just-stalking-women-without-their-knowledge-its-a-wake-up-call-about-facebook-privacy/

 

It's a lengthy read but it's worth it. Be careful and safe out there everyone!

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I saw this earlier this week. It's totally creepy!

 

People need to know how to make their social media settings private. It's not easy, most of the time, because the networks want to make more money from advertising and that's hard to do if visitors to someone's page can't click around a few times. But there are lots of helpful sites on the web that will give detailed, visual instructions about how to make your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other profiles private.

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It's not just about making your own data private. It's also about making sure that, for example, your friends can't check you into places or tag you in photos without your explicit consent. Of course, the social media sites don't want you do lessen their data-flow, so they make that difficult, and in some cases you'll just have to turn these features off entirely. So be it.

 

I'm wondering when we'll start to see cases where people's homes got burgled by someone who used FB (or whatever) to find out that the occupant was definitely going to be out all evening, and probably none too alert to something wrong when they did get back... probably only a matter of time, if it doesn't happen already.

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I'm wondering when we'll start to see cases where people's homes got burgled by someone who used FB (or whatever) to find out that the occupant was definitely going to be out all evening, and probably none too alert to something wrong when they did get back... probably only a matter of time, if it doesn't happen already.

 

Oh that has so happened already (many times), many documented cases in fact. We announce on FB when we going on vacation and even "check-in" to a hotel in another part of the world and it's an open invitation to the burglars to rent a cube van and clean us out. Fortunately as much as I do travel I always have a resident house sitter and post the trip photos on FB once I am back but there have been many documented cases of thieves using social networking to find targets. Something everyone needs to be aware of, thanks for bringing it up.

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Guest S**a*Q

I need that app to find out where I am or what I'm doing half the time... Hehehe, keeping Saratabs. :) Slick!

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There was a thread I read a while back about facebook privacy where SP/MA's are concerned.

 

So when I read this article about this alarmingly creepy app I couldn't help but think about you ladies. Just a head's up for those who don't already have a beefed up security on their social networking.

 

http://www.cultofmac.com/157641/this-creepy-app-isnt-just-stalking-women-without-their-knowledge-its-a-wake-up-call-about-facebook-privacy/

 

It's a lengthy read but it's worth it. Be careful and safe out there everyone!

 

I wouldn't have known about it thanks for bringing it to light,scary,creepy,what next!

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I've been telling people about stuff like this for years, but until VERY recently, people have always assumed I was just being paranoid.

 

This app just shows one of MANY ways where your privacy is being invaded far beyond what you think is even possible. It's not just social media that's responsible either - although that's really helping to get very detailed info on all of us.

 

Did you know that in the U.S. in some malls they track you via your cell phone? They have software and hardware installed at the malls that tracks your cell phone uniquely. They record where you go, how long you're there for, when you leave... and I'm not just talking entering and leaving the mall - they literally track where in an actual store aisle you stop to check something out, how long you stay there before moving to another part of the isle, how long it takes you to get from that point to another... The next time you go to the same mall, they track you again and simply add it to your file...

 

Every time you use your credit card, debit card, air miles card, or whatever - you are being tracked (that's the whole point of those points cards!). They track record and analyze your purchasing habits, travelling habits, and eventually can pretty much figure out where you're most likely to be at any point in the day.

 

Twitter just recently sold, or was in the process of selling all of it's data to some company that was going to process it and sell it off. That's right - everything little thing you ever posted on Twitter was kept and will be sold off to some company so that they can analyze and predict your behaviors.

 

This stuff is real, and happening with or without you knowing about it, and whether or not you like it.

 

You check your gmail account and find ads related to a message you sent or received - they're tracking you. Yes, in that case there's simply a program analyzing words in your messages and feeding you ads based on that info - and I'd guess there's never actually somebody reading your messages, but I still find it a little creepy.

 

How do you think these huge social media /networking companies like Facebook and Twitter make money? - Advertising. Processing your personal information allows them to better target you, personally - the advertising is more effective, everybody makes more money. I wouldn't be surprised if they even have personalized, specific algorithms for individuals.

 

Did you know about the recent discovery with IOS (iphone, ipad, ipod...)? The one where someone found out that every single application installed had the ability to collect all of the data from your contacts and send it out to a server somewhere to collect it? Did you know you that they could do this without asking your permission?

 

I'm not making this up, this is real. They found many applications (some of them full on well-know legitimate apps) collecting your contacts data on their own servers for no apparent reason. Apple said they were going to correct this, but I don't remember hearing it was corrected.

 

This may still sound crazy to some, but it isn't I swear - cross my heart and hope to die! Do some research of your own, get informed.

 

I'm not sure you can fully stop the collection of your private, personal data (well, it used to be considered private and personal... it used to illegal to simply follow someone around in the street... I don't understand how this other stuff is "okay"), but if it concerns you you still have at least a little power to protect your privacy...

 

Don't use Facebook. Pick up a phone and call your friends, or better yet - go visit them in person.

 

Don't use Twitter. Nobody needed to know what you were doing every single minute of the day before - why do they need to know it now?

 

Turn off your cell phone once and a while. There was a time not so long ago, when it was okay to be on the road and unreachable by phone for a little while.

 

Even easier (I know, I'm addicted to my freakin' phone too)...

 

Use cash whenever you can - stop using debit and credit card for everything.

 

Stop using points cards (it's a trade off - your privacy for some really small rewards (they're getting really cheap nowadays!)).

 

Don't give that cashier your postal code, phone number, or email when they ask you at the store (yes, that information is being collected for a reason too - and it's not so that you can return an item later if you want to - you can still do that if you don't give them any personal information (yes, a postal code is still telling them where you live, how far you drove to get to their store, what you bought when you there... and eventually how often you shop there, and the times/days you go...))

 

Quit entering stuff online like contests and promotions etc., where you give them your name, address, age, phone number...

 

Whew! My fingers are all out of breath. 'Nuff ranting from me I think.

 

:smile:

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What makes me mad is, twice now, I've been on Facebook and got some screen that asked for permission to access my contacts, post as me, or whatever, and I did NOT give permission. And yet, it went ahead and did it anyway. WTF??

 

This just happened this week on some PicRate app. I did not give it permission and it started posting as me, asking people to click on my posting to help me win some contest I wasn't even in. I had to go into my privacy settings and delete the app to get it shut down. In the meantime, a couple of my friends made the same mistake.

 

Grrrrr!

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And then there is the tax payer so distrustful of technology that he wouldn't use a telephone or computer.

 

So he came up with a plan: carrier pigeons.

 

I can't help but wonder - did he implement RFC1149?

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I can't help but wonder - did he implement RFC1149?

 

LOL. That is too funny. I hadn't read RFC1149 (probably skipped it as silly) but now we know it is indeed in real business use (or something similar). But perhaps he has upgraded to an RFC2549 approach for the additional benefits. Of course both methods have the distinct disadvantage that "The carriers may be confused by mirrors.". I would have also expected him to be concerned by the security considerations: "There are privacy issues with stool pigeons. Agoraphobic carriers are very insecure in operation." :)

 

At least us network geeks have a sense of humor.

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