Instagram has many settings to make sure your photos are kept safe and secure. Start with these top five tips/
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Tag Archives: Facebook
The web gets ready for voice recognition
News broke earlier in January that Facebook has acquired Wit.ai, an 18 month old startup that specializes in voice recognition technology. At first, this might seem like a strange move but upon closer inspection, the rationale is clear.
Millions of users are turning to mobile as their preferred platform, where typing long messages and interacting with friends is far more challenging than on a PC keyboard.
It’s clear that companies like Facebook face a challenge to make mobile interaction easier and more engaging.
Using Wit.ai’s expertise, Facebook can build a mobile-first platform with a voice activated interface and text-to-speech messaging some obvious steps.
The Facebook acquisition highlights the excitement and potential behind voice recognition technology. We are potentially witnessing a fundamental shift in the way we interact with our technology forever.
As we start integrating voice activated functionality into new smart devices and services we use on a daily basis, my primary concern isn’t one of convenience but of security.
As I wrote in this blog in September 2014, there is much work to be done in securing our digital devices from voice commands.
Most voice recognition technologies scan commands for meaning and then execute them. I believe there is a need for an additional step, one of authentication.
Does the person issuing the command have the authority to do so? When I ask the device to execute a command, does it validate that it is really me and not someone else?
As I demonstrate in the below video, it is quite simple to have a device act upon a voice command issued by a synthetic voice or by a 3rd party that has an access to the device – even remotely:
Video
Voice hacking a device
As Facebook and other leading companies add more voice activation technologies to their roadmap, it’s important to realize that we are also increasing the number of services and devices that are potentially vulnerable to voice attacks. So considering this, , let’s build it with safety in mind.
Facebook privacy basics – 3 areas to look at
Posting a privacy notice on your Facebook feed does nothing to keep your updates, photos, or videos private. You need to tweak the settings yourself.
You may have noticed a legal-sounding statement being shared on people’s Facebook News Feed lately. As we explained in the blog, Posting a privacy notice on Facebook is useless, this statement does nothing to protect users’ privacy. However, it’s great that Facebook users are concerned about these things – it demonstrates a leap forward in awareness and a desire to protect yourself. That’s why we are sharing the three major areas you need to be aware of when it comes to protecting your privacy:
- 1. Your posts
- 2. Your profile
- 3. Your apps
Your posts control who can see what you share when you post from the top of your News Feed or your profile. This tool remembers the audience you shared with the last time you posted something and uses the same audience when you share again unless you change it.
If you need to delete a post go to your Timeline and find the status update, photo, or video you want to remove. Open the menu in the upper right corner of the post and select Delete.
Your profile includes information about you like Work and Education, Places You’ve Lived, Family and Relationships, etc. To see how others view your profile, go to your profile and select View As… on the menu in the lower right corner of your cover photo. If there is information that you don’t want the world to see, then click Update Info at the bottom of the cover photo of your profile to make sure it’s up-to-date and shared with who you want.
Your apps are what you’ve logged into with your Facebook identity. More and more websites and applications, including Avast, are allowing you to do that, because it’s more convenient than creating a new username and password.
When you choose to use your Facebook information to log in, you are also sharing personal information from your Facebook account with the other website. Third party websites can also sometimes post updates to your wall on your behalf. You can edit who sees each app you use and any future posts the app makes for you, or delete the apps you no longer use. Edit your apps by going to your App Settings.
You can view other settings at any time in your Privacy Settings. Or click the padlock icon located in the top right corner.
Use Social Media Security in your Avast account
Every Avast customer has access to our Social Media Security check via your MyAvast account. You can secure your Facebook profile with:
- 24/7 check of all posts
- Protection from dangerous links and viruses
- Monitoring of all photos, friends, and activities
Here’s what you do:
- 1. Go to your my.avast.com account. Your Avast Account is created automatically from the email account entered for any Avast GrimeFighter purchase or Avast Free Antivirus registration. Here’s instructions on our FAQ if you don’t have an account.
- 2. On the bottom left side of the main screen, you will see Social Media Security. Click the blue button to begin a scan. (You may need to connect your Facebook account first.)
- 3. After the scan is complete, Social Media Security will show you all the issues that it found. You can choose to review each of those issues and disregard if it’s OK, or manage the settings within Facebook.
Facebook privacy – why statements about copyright don’t do anything
Facebook users around the world have reported the return of the network’s longer-lasting hoaxes – a legal disclaimer which allows users to regain copyright over their images and other content. Here’s why it doesn’t work.
The post Facebook privacy – why statements about copyright don’t do anything appeared first on We Live Security.
Posting a privacy notice on Facebook is useless
An old hoax has been resurrected after Facebook made a recent announcement about its updated privacy policy. The copyright message claims to protect users’ pictures, information, and posts under UCC 1-308- 1 1 308-103 and the Rome Statute. It’s seems so official; it just must be true, right? Here is an example that I saw on my newsfeed this morning.
Other variations have come through in the past few days with legal-sounding statements, like this:
“In response to the new Facebook guidelines, I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, professional photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention)….”
The good news is that Facebook users are becoming more aware of privacy issues, and they seek a way to control their own shared media. The bad news is that this notification has no legal standing at all, you are bound to the terms and conditions that you agreed to when you signed up with Facebook, and you are annoying your friends.
The truth is that YOU own all of the content and information you post on Facebook, and YOU can control how it is shared through your privacy and application settings. If you neglect to look at those settings, you grant Facebook a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any content that you post on or in connection with Facebook.
In tomorrow’s blog, we will share the top 3 areas in Facebook where you need to make sure the privacy is set to your liking.
XXE Bug Patched in Facebook Careers Third-Party Service
A vulnerability was discovered and patched in a third-party service that handles resumes on Facebook’s careers page.
Facebook privacy – network faces court for ‘reading user messages’
Facebook is to face a class action lawsuit over ‘reading’ its user’s messages, a U.S. judge has ruled.
The post Facebook privacy – network faces court for ‘reading user messages’ appeared first on We Live Security.
A Guide to Facebook Privacy Basics
I’ve written a lot about over-sharing on social media. Why? Because it can be embarrassing, annoying and, in the worst case, dangerous to over-share our private information.
Often over-sharing happens unintentionally, because people haven’t adjusted their privacy settings. On Facebook for example, every time you post it’s possible to choose who can see it.
The issue is that people regularly overlook privacy options or just fail to understand why it is a good idea. Facebook has taken steps to change this with the introduction of “Privacy Basics”.
Available from January 1st, Facebook will provide interactive guides to answer commonly asked questions about how to control your personal information on the site. These guides, available in 36 languages, will allow users to learn more about untagging, unfriending, blocking and more.
Here’s what Privacy Basics can help you control on Facebook:
What others see about you – Control who can see your posts, profile and friends, how to remove comments, tags and accounts.
How others interact with you – What other people can post on your timeline, what people can do to things you post, how to block users and what to do if your account is hacked.
What you see – How to customize what you see in your newsfeed and from advertisers.
Erin Egan, Facebook’s Chief Privacy Officer, described it this way: ”Privacy Basics is the latest step we’ve taken to help you make sure you’re sharing with exactly who you want, including our privacy checkup, reminder for people posting publicly and simplified audience selectors.” You can read the announcement here.
Making Facebook settings simple, more intuitive, and explainable is great news, especially for new users.
Of course, it’s up to all of us to control our settings. Facebook is essentially handing you the keys. As the welcoming page for Privacy Basics says, “You’re in Charge.”
Facebook hoax – how to tell instantly if a story is fake
Two-thirds of young people first learn about major news events via Facebook – but as cybercriminals cash in with hoax stories and links, it can be difficult to tell ‘real’ content from fake. Our tips can help.
The post Facebook hoax – how to tell instantly if a story is fake appeared first on We Live Security.
Facebook’s new privacy policies and your data security
Facebook doesn’t want you to be in the dark about their new privacy policies.
2015 is arriving and, as usual, tech companies start to launch their updates for the new year. However, it looks like someone is sparking some debate with its recent policies that are to be implemented in less than a month. That someone is… Facebook.
After all the controversy around the Facebook Messenger app last summer, the world’s largest social media company is under fire, again!
Recently, Facebook published their new terms, data policies, and cookies policies that the network will launch January 1st. Basically, the update says that every user of Facebook’s services agree, among other changes, with the utilization of tools that can help to aggregate data in order to create more customized ads – the company also introduces ways to guarantee basic data security.
I’ve noticed that the way I’ve received the ads in my profile is quite different to what it used to be. After simply browsing through a website related to a specific theme, let’s say, football or software, I immediately start to receive wall post offers related to that topic, company, or product that I researched online. Imagine how it’s going to be in 2015 after the new policy has been officially launched?
Is Facebook spying on you?
Would the world’s largest social media website be spying on us? They have admitted publicly that it’s quite easy to monitor online activities, and they do hold a lot of data on their members, which makes people feel a bit uncomfortable. Just search for articles about it, and you’ll see.
Facebook’s goal with this new privacy policy is to help users “understand how Facebook works and how to control your information.” This introduces an element of decision-making on the user’s behalf.
Some of the updates you can expect to see are:
Discover what’s going on around you: Facebook is working on ways to show you the most relevant information based on where you are and what your friends are up to.
Make purchases more convenient: People in some regions will see a Buy button, making purchasing easy because you don’t have to leave Facebook. And you get targeted ads based on what you are interested in, like me seeing an increased number of football and software ads.
Make you part of the Facebook ecosystem: You will be even more invested in the “Facebook family” because they are making Instagram, WhatsApp, and the growing number of companies, apps and services that Facebook is acquiring work together more seamlessly.
Your data is still under your control
You should be concerned about the contents and data that you publish on Facebook, because sometimes they make you look like an idiot, but don’t go off the deep end thinking that your social network will steal your privacy! You are still under control of your data!
To help you maintain control, Facebook wants you to understand how they use your information and find information about privacy on Facebook at the moment you need it. Tips and suggestions can be found in Privacy Basics.
It’s also necessary for you to take some precautions, such as:
- Use strong passwords to access your profiles and accounts
- Don’t share sensitive information in social media channels
- Take double precaution with fake websites
- Only proceed with online payments when logged to https pages
And, obviously, use a good antivirus that will help you with all the above procedures! No matter what tools online companies and social media websites are using to better understand your behavior in the “Internet of Things”, you are still under control of your data. Do your part and live a health virtual life!