Five Hidden Dangers of Facebook (PSA)
I love the Internet but I love my privacy more.
Mothers, protect yourself, protect your children!
Five hidden dangers of Facebook
May 8, 2010 2:21 PM PDT
by CBS Interactive staff
Facebook claims that it has 400 million users. But are they well-protected from prying eyes, scammers, and unwanted marketers?
Not according to Joan Goodchild, senior editor of CSO (Chief Security Officer) Online.
She says your privacy may be at far greater risk of being violated than you know, when you log onto the social-networking site, due to security gaffes or marketing efforts by the company.
Facebook came under fire this past week, when 15 privacy and consumer protection organizations filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, charging that the site, among other things, manipulates privacy settings to make users’ personal information available for commercial use. Also, some Facebook users found their private chats accessible to everyone on their contact list–a major security breach that’s left a lot of people wondering just how secure the site is.
In two words, asserts Goodchild: not very.
On "The Early Show on Saturday Morning," Goodchild spotlighted five dangers she says Facebook users expose themselves to, probably without being aware of them:
- Your information is being shared with third parties
- Privacy settings revert to a less safe default mode after each redesign
- Facebook ads may contain malware
- Your real friends unknowingly make you vulnerable
- Scammers are creating fake profiles
Below is an edited transcript of the interview.
Is Facebook a secure platform to communicate with your friends?
Here’s the thing: Facebook is one of the most popular sites in the world. Security holes are being found on a regular basis. It is not as inherently secure as people think it is, when they log on every day.
Certainly, there are growing pains. Facebook is considered a young company, and it has been around a few years now. It is continuing to figure this out. They are so young, they are still trying to figure out how they are going to make money. It is hard to compare this to others; we have never had this phenomenon before in the way [so many] people are communicating with each other–only e-mail comes close.
The potential for crime is real. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, victims of Internet-related crimes lost $559 million in 2009. That was up 110 percent from the previous year. If you’re not careful using Facebook, you are looking at the potential for identity theft, or possibly even something like assault, if you share information with a dangerous person you think is actually a "friend." One British police agency recently reported that the number of crimes it has responded to in the last year involving Facebook climbed 346 percent. These are real threats.
Lately, it seems a week doesn’t go by without some news about a Facebook-related security problem. Earlier this week, TechCrunch discovered a security hole that made it possible for users to read their friends’ private chats. Facebook has since patched it, but who knows how long that flaw existed? Some speculate it may have been that way for years.
Last month, researchers at VeriSign’s iDefense group discovered that a hacker was selling Facebook usernames and passwords in an underground hacker forum. It was estimated that he had about 1.5 million accounts–and was selling them for between $25 and $45.
And the site is constantly under attack from hackers trying to spam these 400 million users, or harvest their data, or run other scams. Certainly, there is a lot of criticism in the security community of Facebook’s handling of security. Perhaps the most frustrating thing is that the company rarely responds to inquiries.
Do people really have privacy on Facebook?
No. There are all kinds of ways third parties can access information about you. For instance, you may not realize that, when you are playing the popular games on Facebook, such as FarmVille, or take those popular quizzes–every time you do that, you authorize an application to be downloaded to your profile that gives information to third parties about you that you have never signed off on.
Does Facebook share info about users with third parties through things such as Open Graph?
Open Graph is a new concept for Facebook, which unveiled it last month at its F8 conference. It actually is basically a way to share the information in your profile with all kinds of third parties, such as advertisers, so they can have a better idea of your interests and what you are discussing, so Facebook can–as portrayed–"make it a more personal experience."
The theory behind Open Graph–even if it has not implemented it–is its whole business model, isn’t it?
That is the business model–Facebook is trying to get you to share as much information as possible so it can monetize it by sharing it with advertisers.
Isn’t it in Facebook’s best interest to get you to share as much info as possibl
e?
It absolutely is. Facebook’s mission is to get you to share as much information as it can so it can share it with advertisers. As it looks now, the more info you share, the more money it is going to make with advertisers.
Isn’t there also a security problem every time it redesigns the site?
Every time Facebook redesigns the site, which [usually] happens a few times a year, it puts your privacy settings back to a default in which, essentially, all of your information is made public. It is up to you, the user, to check the privacy settings and decide what you want to share and what you don’t want to share.
Facebook does not [necessarily] notify you of the changes, and your privacy settings are set back to a public default. Many times, you may find out through friends. Facebook is not alerting you to these changes; it is just letting you know the site has been redesigned.
Can your real friends on Facebook also can make you vulnerable?
Absolutely. Your security is only as good as your friend’s security. If someone in your network of friends has a weak password, and his or her profile is hacked, he or she can now send you malware, for example.
There is a common scam called a 419 scam, in which someone hacks your profile and sends messages to your friends asking for money – claiming to be you–saying, "Hey, I was in London, I was mugged, please wire me money." People fall for it. People think their good friend needs help–and end up wiring money to Nigeria.
A lot of Web sites we use display banner ads, but do we have to be wary of them on Facebook?
Absolutely: Facebook has not been able to screen all of its ads. It hasn’t done a great job of vetting which ads are safe and which are not. As a result, you may get an ad in your profile when you are browsing around one day that has malicious code in it. In fact, last month, there was an ad with malware that asked people to download antivirus software that was actually a virus.
Is too big a network of friends dangerous?
You know people with a lot of friends–500, 1,000 friends on Facebook? What is the likelihood they are all real? There was a study in 2008 that concluded that 40 percent of all Facebook profiles are fake. They have been set up by bots or impostors.
If you have 500 friends, it is likely there is a percentage of people you don’t really know, and you are sharing a lot of information with them, such as when you are on vacation, your children’s pictures, their names. Is this information you really want to put out there to people you don’t even know?
This interview, "Five Hidden Dangers of Facebook," was originally published on CBSNews.com.
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I assume anything ‘said’ or done on a computer connected to the internet can, and likely will, be viewed by whoever has the technology to do so. In short: there is no more privacy on the internet than there is standing in front of a window with no curtains in your home.
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I don’t accept people I don’t know, but it’s true.. you’re only as secure as your friends are. I also, like Principassa Pollyana, know that anything said, typed, viewed, etc online is not private.
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ryn: yes, but I grew up speaking English from pretty young, too. thank you for your kind words – am doing my best to ‘share’ a bit more. oh, and I love that scene – thanks for the reminder. glad you appreciate the wonders of Al. Just tango on indeed. 😉 take care.
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Thanks for the Facebook info, Nunzio, and visiting our Saturday Morning Entertainment Magazine. Am with Facebook but don’t spend much time there. Willy of
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I play nice on FB. Nothing getting past me there. 🙂
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word
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I’ve been thinking abotu leaving facebook for a while for those very reasons.
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Hey, thanks so very much for that note. Pondering. New way to think about it, but wow, it sure has the feel of truth to it. Hope your day was good. G’night.
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RYN: OK, now the question. If you believe in Harville’s theory of mate selection, then aren’t we LOOKING for someone whose wounds match our own? And wouldn’t working with that very person be the place for the possibility of healing? This is where I get stuck, not knowing whether it is the strong thing to attempt to work with that person, or the strong thing to walk away. 🙂
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never had that experience of waiting for each note to appear. i read that book again and again. it was b’s, from his relationship with his 2nd wife. he said it didn’t work with her, and oddly enough it did not work with us, either. i agree with every single thing you have just written, and even the scenarios are correct (alcoholic father, etc.) the problem is i don’t know how to tell if itwould be safe to assume he would be willing. no, more accurately, that somehow he would be able now to work at it. my mind knows the answer is that it WOULD NOT BE SAFE FOR ME. ok, it is like you know so much about me and i know nothing about you. you have had experience with this, i can tell. are you the fuser (which of course, i am) or the fear of engulfment/distancer? and do you choose to stay single, as i am now, as almost a lesson in stopping my need for closeness? ok, well thanks for your notes. they are hmmm, reinforcement of what i know but sometimes don’t want to believe… … and God bless you, too, neighbor across the miles.
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Wow…something else about which you are passionate! Thank you for writing this for us.
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RYN: I been begging for over six years, Loser. Chah.
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ryn: lol yes “word” – street lingo for – “what you’ve just said so eloquently precisely conveys what I, too, think as well” I was just being lazy.
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I keep my FB pretty locked down and don’t use any apps. I’m fully aware of just how much data they collect and share.
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Not that you didn’t already know this but…YOU’RE THE MAN! I was thinking after my initial search for one to buy that since it is just a glorified trash can there had to be a way to convert a trash can….but I hadn’t made it that far in the process yet. Thank you!
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Facebook malware took down a few computers at work a few months ago. Facebook bastards!
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Ryn: doing? Pretty much just keeping my head above water. Thanks for askin.
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your listening, understanding, support, and feedback mean a lot to me… thank you for sharing from your heart.
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ryn: smiling back at your cute little compound eyes… http://www.flickr.com/photos/david_panevin/3975576161/sizes/l/
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ugh. i’ve been considering deleting my facebook altogether (i deleted my myspace)…
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ryn: yeah, but can the purpose of the relationship be for the narcissist to heal, too? For his/her issue is the same as the co-narcissist–no real known sense of self. And so, can they ever heal together? I guess those are the questions that keeps the two coming back together again… I don’t know, at some point, yes, you are right. That dance just does not appeal to me anymore…
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That entry was really, really good. Thanks for the link. It was super helpful to see it from your viewpoint. For some odd reason, I appear to be speechless. So I just smile, and say goodnight, ex-knight… 🙂
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Where you gonna drive me to? Huh? Huh? And how much horsepower does your engine have?
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thanks for your note. good advice. 🙂
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soon, this nunzio guy is going to write a new entry… that’s the rumor i heard, anyway. ryn: the question–something like this–when triggered into the struggle, should i stay or should i go? the answer–we will not need the question anymore when we decide to stop struggling. the question–how do we stop struggling? the answer–when we realize there is nothing that must be defended about the situation. the question–how do we TRULY internalize that there is no need for defense? the answer–we must examine ourselves to see what we think we NEED from the other person. AH HA! another answer–it is OUR need that keeps it in the form of a struggle. the question–how can we determine OUR need when it seems so apparent that it is the other person CAUSING the struggle, or in other words, how can we stop hiding from ourselves behind the other person? the answer–we will realize that we don’t have to hide ourselves from ourselves when we realize there is nothing that must be defended about the situation. OH NO! this is confusing! let’s go back to the original question–stay or go? oh, HA, it doesn’t matter,
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because until we learn to stop struggling against ourselves, we will luckily be given another person just like the last, to keep practicing on. so, like in your case, your friend, and in my case, we’ll say my mom, or also, my gf who is an alcoholic… i THINK i need them to be different. to not see the world as out to get them, to stop resenting that life is not fair to them, and to stopdenying that their very actions create the world they think is so unfair. i think i NEED that “FOR” them. so i struggle to FEED that to them, while their mouth is clamped shut, but still complaining about everything out the corner of their pissed off face. I AM STRUGGLING, but i blame them for the struggle. i think i NEED them to be happy. why? what is it about ME that thinks i MUST CONTROL THAT? so I AM CAUSING THE STRUGGLE, because if i am not able to make them happy, i am “bad”. i do not have to defend my worth because i failed to help them. stop the struggle on our side, they either go away to find a new struggle partner or they stop their part, too, when we stop. hey, you asked the question. i can’t help it if i’m sloppy.
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and as a last bit; yes, i have said to my mom, “mom, i am hanging up now, we are in that cycle that does not get us anywhere good, and we just end up both feeling worse.” and the super important part to ME when a conversation has to end like that is i say “i love you very much, and will talk to you soon.” i don’t want my detaching to sound like an abandonment, because i am so sensitive to that myself… btw, hahahaha, i am not really good at all of the above yet, but getting better. it all comes down to solid self acceptance at the base. love ya!
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Damn…..I am a FBholic and this really scares the hell out of me! Thanks for sharing!
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Hee Hee….Lord you have no idea just how nasty! *Evil Grinz* ;>
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RYN: Sorry? What for, silly? Not sorry for anything under this Ãœber Umbrella.
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So….ahulk ahulk… am I perty???
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Hey, you. Thanks for your note. 🙂
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ryn: ha, I do not know about that… but I am hungry to live my life. If it does some good for someone along the way, all the better.
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Ryn: Fine. I’ll talk to her. I hate it though, as I didn’t DO anything! You’re right – she’s pouting over God knows what…it’s unfair.
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have i told you lately that you’re obnoxious? 😉
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ryn: but what the hell am i supposed to do with him? I can’t drive him. I am already aware of all of this..they won’t let himinto the cabin.
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hey hey, nunzio! ryn: i would suppose the answer to that would be how honestly and totally we share ourselves on OD, and to what depth. for me, i think my relatives and friends, and the people who have read me for a while here would both say about the same thing. your note gives me an idea to send the link to friends and relatives, but i would have some concern that somehow it would lead them to my OD. and then… my ability for total honesty and sharing of my deepest thoughts would be compromised. if OD entries are not as complete brain dump as mine tend to be, then maybe the johari/nohari results would not be useful. to me they are useful, especially the nohari. yep. and that is what i have to say about that. put one up on your OD, and see what happens, sweet bool. ha.
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… and as an afterthought as i reread your note, i think more of the real me is visible in my journal than in real life. for me, that is what a journal is about. working hard on the awareness and understanding that is more difficult to do publicly. any more questions? smiling at you. you forgot to add your input to my two windows. ahem.
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OK Cupcake…thank you and I did ask, but was so subtle about it 🙂
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I think not.
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No I didn’t read them all, I wanted you to ask! but I will.
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Oh let’s just agree on YOU asking!!! LOL
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ryns: the cat films were perfect weren’t they! he really caught the crazy mannerisms perfectly. i loved when the cat put the fly in the guy’s mouth! hehehe. as to the saying about men. ha. i guess it is roughly true, but you guys have your shining moments of so totally breaking out and going far beyond that. it’s what keeps it so fresh and exciting for the women who love you, right? 🙂
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ryn: hahaha!! i can’t even wax down there; it’s too painful..!
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Anyone that uses the internet gives up some freedom. You can use all the privacy measures and someone will still find a way around it. Hax0rs rule the internet world and so if a person doesn’t want their privacy invaded they should just step away from the computer and live in the woods.
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Also Facebook itself does not contain malware unless you accept third party bs. But we’re adults and know that in order be affected by malware one must actually download the file. Thank the universe for Malware Bytes.
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ry1n: Oh yeah – it 730PM and I didn’t see a soul. ry2n: Since websense recategorized OD as “Social Networkin” it has been blocked at work – so my noting and note responding has been drastically reduced. My time on OD lately seems to have become limited to drive-by entries. Note on, brotha!
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RYN: Hee Hee! What’s up baybee!? :0)
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ryn: I’ll never get tired of you saying that ::bats eyelashes:: 😉 You are too kind. There was a time…I coulda been a contenda (in that Hollywood kinda way), Nunz…just did not want to lose my soul to ??? Just always wanted to be true to me. Love ya!
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p.s. Miss your sharing here.
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RYN: I know, huh??!!!
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ryn: No chance, paddles
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ryn: Heh. Will report checking on station.
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RYN: Lol, yes, it would definitely incite a squeal!
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ryn: nope; whenever i write something that i like, i put it in my journal. good place to file it, so it is all in one place. 🙂
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ryn: ha. right now i am not liking how vague you can be.
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I keep telling everyone all that but no one believes me. They keep THINKING that if they set their privacy they have privacy. Facebook keeps on resetting privacy levels every time you use something or everything . I have next to nothing on facebook and I delete everything after I read it. And I keep on resetting and resetting lol . So let someone hack my facebook, there is nothing there.
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