Sony got hacked. Again. In three different countries. The music giant confirmed that it had to shut down its Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications shopping site in Canada after thieves broke in and stole personal information of about 2,000 customers. [More]
Data & Privacy
Mark Zuckerberg Willing To Fight For The Right To Get Pre-Teens On Facebook
By 5.20.11
In the wake of the Consumer Reports study that found that nearly 40% of minors on Facebook are actually under the age of 13, there has been a lot of discussion about age-appropriate internet use. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg recently made his feelings pretty clear — Not only does he believe pre-teens belong on Facebook, he plans to fight to change the laws intended to keep them off the site. [More]
Facebook Is Number One Tool For Divorce Lawyers
By 5.18.11
The days of finding lipstick on a shirt collar are over. All you need now is to look on a cheating spouse’s Facebook wall, as one man in a 20-year long marriage learned. [More]
It Was Bound To Happen: Baby Named After Facebook "Like" Button
By 5.17.11
Given the sheer number of people on Facebook — and given the vast number of parents who have no problem saddling a child with a name that will require an explanation for its entire lifetime — it was inevitable that someone out there would be so inspired by Facebook that they would name their kid after the site’s “Like” button. [More]
How To Fight Clickjacking On Facebook
By 5.13.11
To help combat clickjacking, Facebook is adding a new feature that will spot scam-like behavior by pages on its site and ask you to confirm your “like” before automatically adding a story to your profile and your friends’ News Feeds.” So how do you as a user fight clickjacking on Facebook? It’s a really easy one-step process. When you see a post that says “to watch this kkkkrazy video, just copy and paste this URL into your browser,” — don’t do it. [More]
Facebook Fesses Up To Being Behind Google Smear Campaign
By 5.12.11
Earlier this week it was revealed that a top PR firm was, on behalf on an unnamed client, testing the waters of the blogosphere, trying to find writers to post anti-Google items with promises of getting that content linked on bigger sites. Now a new report on The Daily Beast confirms that the folks at Facebook were the ones behind the attempted smear campaign. [More]
Senators Ask SEC To Force Companies To Reveal Data Leaks
By 5.12.11
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller has come up with a new tactic to push companies like Sony to disclose hack attacks and data security breaches more promptly: He’s asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to require companies to treat attacks as time-sensitive information that must be provided to investors. [More]
The Mark Zuckerberg Who Didn't Found Facebook Kicked Off Facebook
By 5.12.11
How dare non-Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg be so impertinent as to have the same name as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg! The nerve! The social networking site has retaliated against NFF-Zuckerberg for the very impudence of being born and named thusly by booting him from Facebook. That oughta teach him a lesson. [More]
Report: Nearly 38% Of Minors On Facebook Are Under Age Of 13
By 5.10.11
Most of the people reading this post were older than 13 years of age when Facebook was unleashed upon the world a few years back, so we never had to lie about our age just to play Frontierville or post grainy camera phone photos of ourselves. But according to a new study from our kin at Consumer Reports, more than one in three of the 20 million Facebook users under the age of 18 are also too young to actually be on the site in the first place. [More]
5 Things To Do When A Company Leaks Your Data
By 5.6.11
What should yo do if you’re a victim of Sony’s recent security breaches — or of similar data leaks at other security-challenged-companies? Our clever cousins at Consumer Reports have come up with a set of tips to help you weather the post-hack storm. Top of the list: Accept free credit-monitoring services that the company offers to its customers, but don’t count on them to catch everything. [More]
Michaels Warns Customers Of Possible Data Breach
By 5.5.11
If you’ve shopped at a Michaels big-box craft store recently and used a credit or debit card, keep an eye on your statements, especially if you shopped in the greater Chicago area. The chain notified customers on its e-mail list earlier today about a possible PIN pad breach in Chicago that may apply to other stores as well. [More]
Logos Redesigned For What The Company Actually Does
By 5.4.11
For fun and whimsy, graphic designer Viktor Hertz took a crack at reworking some famous company logos so they more accurately depict what the company is all about. C’mon, let’s get real people. YouTube is not about putting “you” on the “tube” — it’s the world’s largest repository of cat videos! The rest of the satire, more of which can be found here, speaks for itself. [More]
Playing Fun Name Games Could Jeopardize Your Secure Info
By 5.2.11
It could be funny and adorable when you join in on the “What’s your royal name?” or “Your porn star name would be…” shenanigans, adding your pet’s name or street name to your real moniker to achieve humorous ends. But by doing so, you could be giving up the goods to thieves. [More]
DHS Ditches Color-Coded Terror Alert System, Joins The Facebook & Twitter Crowd
By 4.21.11
I know all of you have gotten used to checking to see if it was an orange, yellow, or red day according to the Department of Homeland Security’s color-coded terror alert system. But now that’s all gone, and you can check Facebook or Twitter to see whether or not the world is going to blow up today. [More]
Scammer Cracks Your Facebook Account, Live Chats With Your Friends That You're Mugged In London And Need Cash
By 4.21.11
Last week we told you about a guy who thought his friend was mugged in London and trapped without cash and was hitting him up for help via Facebook IM. Turns out his friend’s Facebook account was hacked and he was live-chatting with a scammer who had taken over the account. It’s not an isolated incident, other readers chimed in to say it had happened to them too. We’ve heard of this scam before, but the fact that they are live chatting on Facebook with the victim’s friends, pretending to be a friend who is in trouble, is a new twist. Here is another transcript of such an occurrence, courtesy of commenter MyopicRaiderfan. They have a little fun with the scammer by asking them why they slept with their stepfather in high school. [More]
Netflix Wants To Charge Extra For Multiple Video Streams, Swim In Piles Of Cash
By 4.20.11
Netflix was sitting around looking at its money when it realized that it didn’t quite have enough to do the whole Scrooge McDuck swimming maneuver, so the video giant has come up with an idea: “family plans” that allow you to stream more than one program at once. [More]
Debt Collector Can't Harass Through Facebook Friends, Court Rules
By 4.18.11
In a precedent-setting case, a court has ruled that a debt collector can’t continue to contact a debtor’s friends and family on Facebook about her car payments, reports the Orlando Sentinel. The debt collector had already emailed, texted her, and called her at home and work, according tot he lawsuit, 23 times in one day. [More]
Scammer Cracks Into Facebook Account And Hits Up Chat List For Cash
By 4.14.11
Kevin was worried. His friend Mike said over Facebook chat that he and his wife and kids were stranded in London after getting mugged. They needed money wired immediately to settle their hotel bill. This was especially worrisome because Mike was supposed to be recuperating in the hospital from head surgery… Then Kevin realized that someone had cracked his friend’s Facebook account and was impersonating him. Here is the transcript of their conversation: [More]
