Thursday, January 27, 2011

Facebook Privacy Control Is In Danger -Remove Your Adresses And Contacts Numbers From Facebook- By: Sana Naseer Shaikh



IT security and control firm, Sophos, has advised Facebook users to eliminate their addresses and phone numbers from the site, as the social network newly told developers that users' off-site contact details will now be easily reached programmatically.

According to Sophos security expert, this could indication a new stage of danger for Facebook users, third-party application developers are now able to access your home address and mobile phone number. 

"This change isn't as tremendous as it might first come forward, because users will need to give agreement for third-party Facebook applications to access this data," explained Graham Cluley, Senior Technology Consultant at Sophos. "But it still sounds like a recipe for ruin, given the dominance of mischief applications already on Facebook - all of which advantage from rumor has it that being hallowed by the Facebook name and brand." 

Facebook is already overwhelmed by rogue applications that post spam links to users' walls, point users to survey scams that earn them expenses - and sometimes even trick users into handing over their cell phone numbers to sign them up for a premium rate service. Now, rogue app developers will find it easier than ever before to gather even more special information from users.


Sophos believes that Facebook should be making a more publicly visible effort to get rid of rogue application providers first, before opening up such precious and easily abused personal information to its developer community."Facebook told its supposed one million app developers how to ask users for permission to right to use this newly freethinking data late on Friday night, but we already know many users don't bother reading the small print and just click the button without thinking of theresults," continued Cluley. "What they've failed to do is explain how Facebook will become more safety-conscious now that it has taken this divisive step." 

Suggestions are in the air around Twitter that users should change their mobile number to that of Facebook's US customer service line, thus ensuring that any misuse of this new feature ends up paining Facebook. 

Sophos advises that all Facebook users do the following - 

* Remove their address and phone number from Facebook immediately. 
* Assessment all their Facebook privacy settings.


Already Published on Pakistani Scandals by the authour in the following link:

http://www.pakistaniscandals.com/post/1056/Facebook-Privacy-Control-Is-In-Danger--Remove-Your-Adresses-And-Contacts-Numbers-From-Facebook--By:-Sana-Naseer-Shaikh.html

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