Reader Eric says he got a fairly realistic-looking Facebook phishing email and wanted to warn others not to click.
Data & Privacy
Visa Covers Butt By 'Delisting' Breached Credit Card Payment Processors
By 3.18.09
Visa has removed Heartland Payment Systems and RBS WorldPay, the two huge payment processors that suffered recent data breaches, from its list of companies that are in compliance with Payment Card Industry (PCI) rules. It says they can get back on the list when they recertify that they have proper security in place. While this may sound like a significant change in the status of the companies, in reality it does little to change how the three companies do business with each other or with merchants. It’s just a way for Visa to protect itself from any upcoming lawsuits by banks and credit unions against the payment processors.
How To Delete Your Online Accounts
By 3.10.09
PC Mag has assembled a list of instructions on how to wipe your account from a long list of websites, including Classmates.com (you’ll have to call), Windows Live ID (it’s complicated), and Friendster (ha ha ha). In many cases, canceling is as straightforward as clicking a link and authorizing the cancellation, but it’s nice to see all the phone numbers and tips collected in one spot.
By 2.27.09
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Consumerist was on The Today Show this morning, they interviewed Facebook’s CEO and used the clip from NBC Nightly News in the segment. [Today Show]
Facebook Will Let Users Help Draft New Terms Of Service
By 2.26.09
We are open to putting the documents up to a vote. The rules people must do when on the site and what we must do, a two way thing. There will be Comment periods, a council that will help on future revisions.
What Facebook's Users Want In The Next Terms Of Service
By 2.23.09
Now that Facebook has said they’re drafting a new Terms of Service based on community input, that community has eagerly put forth their proposals in the Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities Facebook group. Forum admin Julius Harper went through the 27 pages of feedback and pulled out the three major areas the community seemed most concerned about. Here’s what the people are demanding:
Update: Facebook Agrees To Take Down Dead Relative's Page
By 2.21.09
Stephanie Bemister says that after our post went up Facebook contacted her and agreed to take down the facebook page of her dead brother, an award-winning investigative journalist and Nazi hunter. “Thank you again, Ben,” she wrote. “My family has no words that truly express how we feel.” Previously Facebook told her they wouldn’t remove the page because…
Facebook Won't Let You Remove Dead Relative's Page, Per "Policy"
By 2.20.09
UPDATE: Facebook Agrees To Take Down Dead Relative’s Page. Facebook thinks it knows better than the sister of the deceased journalist Bill Bemister about what to do with his Facebook page. Stephanie Bemister sent them a copy of his death certificate and asked it get taken down for privacy and respect purposes. Unlike every other single social networking site she dealt with, Facebook said no. They have a better idea. Stephanie’s letter inside…
Watch Consumerist's Own Ben Popken On The NBC Nightly News
By 2.19.09
Here’s a little media whoring for ya. Consumerist’s Ben Popken was interviewed on the NBC Nightly News this evening. We were hoping Brian Williams would say the word “Consumerist” so we could somehow capture it and make it our ringtone, but alas. Not to be.
Facebook Reverts Back To Old Terms Of Service
By 2.18.09
It appears in the wake of global attention and outcry, Facebook has, as of at least 12:27 am, reverted back to the previous Terms of Service. Phew, now we can all go back to sending each other digital cupcakes without Big Brother watching us. This is a temporary move until Facebook can draft a new Terms of Service that addresses the users’ concerns. CEO Zuckerberg wrote a new blog post, and Facebook spokesperson Barry Schnitt released this statement:
Facebook Privacy Fallout Goes Nuclear
By 2.18.09
Online, in print and on TV, Consumerist’s Facebook terms of service change story, and the ensuing global uproar, has spread like Ebola in a monkey house…
10 Facebook Privacy Settings To Know
By 2.18.09
Concerned about how discreet your bits are over at Facebook? The All Facebook blog has 10 privacy settings ever user should know about, from removing yourself from Facebook and Google searches, to who can see your tagged photos, and other basic ways of controlling your content.
Shrink Ray Now Hitting Rewards Programs
By 2.18.09
We’ve seen food items, airline mile programs, and credit card limits all shrink as the economy worsens. Now it’s time for other rewards programs to become just a little less rewarding—and somewhat sneakily, too, in these two stories recently sent in by readers.
How Does Facebook's TOS Compare To Other Social Networking Sites?
By 2.17.09
If you’ve been following the Facebook story over the past couple of days, you know by now that Facebook has said that they are not claiming ownership of uploaded user content: “We certainly did not—and did not intend—to create any new right or interest for Facebook in users’ data by issuing the new Terms.” But blogger Amanda French decided to actually compare the fine print for several social networking sites—MySpace, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Picasa—and she concludes that “Facebook’s claims to your content are extraordinarily grabby and arrogant.” Read her side-by-side comparison here.
Facebook Clarifies Terms Of Service: "We Do Not Own Your Stuff Forever"
By 2.16.09
Well, yesterday’s Facebook post certainly blew up today, and it looks like Facebook is currently preparing an official response. In the meantime, a Facebook rep has written to the Industry Standard to emphasize that all rights are subject to your privacy settings, so even if they don’t expire when you close your account, they’ll still be subject to whatever restrictions you had when the account was active. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has also posted a more philosophical response on the Facebook blog saying that while the new Terms of Service are “overly formal,” they’re only meant to give Facebook the legal ability to enable content sharing among users.
Facebook's New Terms Of Service: "We Can Do Anything We Want With Your Content. Forever."
By 2.15.09
This post has generated a lot of responses, including from Facebook. Check them out here.
By 2.6.09
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Don’t give your friends money via Facebook without talking to them first. [CNN] (Thanks to Jamie!)
