Grandma and Grandpa are getting on Facebook in record numbers to connect with their grandchildren. Kids as young as five years old are on daily to play social games such as Farmville.
Shelli Bond Pabis
The perception is that Facebook acts as a “safe” community for people to interact with their friends and family long distance. Parents are comforted by the fact that they can monitor their children’s interaction by being part of the network.
What you forget is that Facebook need to sell your information to provide that network.
Strangers can obtain birthdays, addresses and behavioral patterns to emotionally manipulate Facebook users’ behaviors beyond what is already happening.
As of July 2009, there were almost 6 Million Facebook users over 55 and 7 Million minors under 17 according to a report posted by Istrategylabs. On April 21, 2010, Facebook disclosed that it has been releasing private information from members to related partners for months.
In addition, Facebook set the default setting for Instant Personalization to “Everyone” for the choice of releasing out your private personal information to developers and non related Facebook sites.
Previously, the company had a policy where developers couldn’t “store and cache any data for more than 24 hours.” At Facebook’s f8 conference 2010, founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company was removing restrictions on user data retention within Facebook applications. This has to do with the group API.
Accounts settings were also set to allow sharing of your information out to non Facebook site. For example, it started out innocuously such as the application Levi Jeans created to track exactly what you’re buying or like.
Developers had always been able to pull private information. Facebook now allows developers to download and retain the information indefinitely. This means that we may have popular applications designed by small companies be vulnerable to hacking.
These companies will have detailed database of millions of Facebook users on their server or on hard drives that are vulnerable to theft. There are at least 500,000 applications on Facebook, the company can’t possibly police even a fraction of those outside vendors.
Shelli Bond Pabis
Imagine having detailed information about exactly when to target a senior after a death in the family or sexual predators being able to buy tracking information about young children’s habitual activities from hackers.
The only way to protect our parents and children from the risk of abuse stemming from their Facebook data is to keep as much private information off the network as possible. The only true way to protect your family is to get them off Facebook and hit the delete account button.
Here are some ways to reduce the risk from Facebook. One of the ways to restrict access to your data is to delete any applications that you don’t use anymore on Facebook and to reset the setting.
How to Remove Facebook Applications
After signing into Facebook, do the following:
1. Click on “Account” at the top-right of the screen.
2. Click “Application Settings”
3. Change the “Show” drop-down box to “Authorized.” This will show all the applications you’ve ever given permission to.
4. In the resulting list, click the “X” button on the far right next to each app you want to remove to delete it.
5. On the pop-up box that appears, click “Remove” then click “Okay” on the next box confirming the app was deleted.
Repeat this process to remove all the apps you no longer use on a regular basis.
Candy Wrapper Wheel - Photo Credit Rick Scully
How to Adjust Privacy Settings
1. Click on “Account” at the top-right of the screen.
2. Click “Privacy Settings”
3. Click on “Applications and Websites”
4. Click on “Instant Personalization Pilot Program”
5. Click on edit settings
6. Opt out by click unchecking the box with “Allow select partners to instantly personalize their features with my public information when I first arrive on their websites.” at the bottom of the section.
Facebook applications
Review all the applications that are on your child’s or parent’s Facebook page. Are they from companies that have heavy users? Is there any information about the developer? Does their site address security concerns and privacy regulations? Do they cite what their procedures are to protect the data that they have?
Just because a company is small does not necessary mean that they are not capable of providing excellent security. There are many outside vendors that a company can use at a reasonable price. The question is whether security of your data is a primary focus or are they concentrated only on making as much money off the data as possible.
With the heavy move in sales marketing to behavioral manipulation, everyone should review their daily life and determine where private information is being given out. The risk to vulnerable family members is something that needs to be monitored on a frequent basis.
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photo credit: Rick Scully, Shelli Bond Pabis
