Facebook Murders – Killer Uses Information From Victim’s Online Profile
Have you heard about the Facebook murders?
No, you haven’t. That’s because it hasn’t happened, yet.
The latest dustup over Facebook’s privacy changes has played out around the web, in the print media, and even in Washington D.C. as the company decided to put dollars above users by changing it’s privacy settings and policies. If you missed it, here is a quick overview.
Facebook recently implemented some new features and policies that come on the heels of last fall’s set of privacy "updates" in which every single Facebook user had all of their privacy settings changed to allow EVERYONE to view EVERYTHING, unless the user stopped to read and comprehend a pop-up screen that basically required users to decide whether to keep their old privacy settings or to use Facebook’s "recommended" settings. You can about imagine what most users that were just wanting to pop onto Facebook for a minute and see if there were any new pictures or updates from their friends chose.
Now, Facebook has implemented something it is calling F8, which basically allows other websites to use that newly private data for various purposes. As you can imagine, some people are up in arms about this.
Facebook Changes Privacy Settings Following Murder of Local Student
The problem with the Facebook privacy debate is that it is being conducted by technical bloggers, covered by technical journalists, and used for publicity by politicians. What gets left out of this debate is that of the almost 500 million Facebook users out there, most of them are NOT technically savvy. In fact, the whole reason Facebook’s growth has been so phenomenal is because it was able to tap into "regular" people.
If Facebook continues on its present course, the privacy debate being engaged in today will come crashing down someday soon. Since Facebook used to take care of its users and inspired a certain sense of trust among them, many non-technical users don’t even realize that there is any debate going on about Facebook privacy. They don’t read blogs, or click on LIKE buttons all over the web. They don’t have Twitter accounts, they don’t know what Digg is, they use Internet Explorer because it came with their computer. The most technical thing that they know about the Internet is that you can search for stuff with Google. Most importantly, they have never revisited their privacy settings.
If you are thinking, "Cry me a river," about embarrassing pictures, then you are either not thinking it through, or you are a simpleton. Either way, let me paint you a picture.
Anytown, USA – Some Day in the Near Future
Police today announced an arrest in the kidnapping and murder of local high school student, Jane Doe. Police reports suggest that the suspected killer, John Smith, used information found in Doe’s Facebook profile to carry out the kidnapping and murder.
Smith, a parking lot attendant, noticed Doe when she visited a friend at the community college. A high school parking permit sticker affixed to Doe’s window told Smith that Doe was currently enrolled at Lincoln High School. Smith apparently sent several friend requests to other students at Lincoln including fellow student Bob Jones. Jones said he accepted Smith’s friend request because he needed more "friends" for his "mafia" in a Facebook game called Mafia Wars.
Jones was already a friend of Doe’s, so being Jones’ "friend" gave Smith access to a wide array of information about Doe. Recent changes in the default Facebook privacy settings made much of Doe’s information available to "everyone," and even more data available to "friends of friends."
On the day of the kidnapping, Doe responded to a status update made by Jones about attending the school’s bonfire ceremony, indicating that she would, "see him there." Smith knew what kind of car Doe drove thanks to some pictures posted to her and Jones’ Facebook pages. A quick glance at the High School webpage or Facebook page told him the time and location of the bonfire. Using the address in her profile, Smith waited for Doe to leave the house and followed here. Then, he sent a text message to her cellphone indicating that "they were meeting on the west side of the parking lot". Smith had found Doe’s number via another friend’s Facebook profile from an update made months ago.
Jones grabbed Doe and forced her into his van at gunpoint. Then, using the victim’s cellphone he posted a "mobile status update" to the Facebook website indicating that she had car troubles and would not be attending. Later, he sent another update saying that she was "Chilin’ late at Taco Bell." Friends were therefore unconcerned when she didn’t arrive…
Think it’s far fetched?
Click on the links of some of the people who are friends of your friends. See how much information you can view about them. Sure, some of those accounts are locked down, but many are not.
Next, pick a sorority and do a little searching around on Facebook for it. How many co-eds can you find personal information about?
It isn’t about pranks and antics, it’s about real world privacy.
Top 6 Uses for Google Incognito Windows and Internet Explorer Privacy Mode
When Google released its Chrome browser, there was a lot of focus on two features, the faster JavaScript engine, named V8, and the privacy mode, named Incognito. The latter was the subject of much snickering and finger pointing as the blog-heads promptly nicknamed the feature “porno mode,” suggesting that the only reason for having a privacy feature like Incognito was to use your computer to surf the Internet for pornography.
The reaction to Google’s inclusion of a browsing privacy mode was ironic, considering the considerable heat the company takes from the same group of users for its own privacy policy and data collection techniques. The same users who wail about how much Google might know about its users and what it does with that data was the same group to suggest that the only people who need privacy from their browser are perverts who look at pornography all day long. This begs the question why these writers are so concerned then with their privacy for searches; presumably because they are searching for porn all day long. That being said, there have emerged several very useful needs for the privacy mode included in browsers like Google Chrome, and now Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Top 5 Uses For Internet Browser Privacy Mode
- Pure Search Results – When you search via Google and other search engines, the search results you get are often colored by your past searching and other online behavior. Thus, if Google’s systems detect that in the past you have searched regularly for tree root watering kits, then your searches for “root kits” are likely to have results returned that have something to do with watering plants, while a heavy searcher of Unix utilities would find the same search slanted toward computer based root kits. This makes it difficult to get an idea of what a “pure” search ranking looks like. The standard techniques to avoid this require things like creating a separate Firefox profile, or using a different browser, and so on. A quick click over to Privacy Mode, though ensures search results that are not colored by previous searches.
- Testing New User Experience – Likewise, many websites offer a different experience to users who are returning users versus the one they offer to new users. Also, many sites behave differently depending upon whether or not the user has logged in before from a specific computer. By entering into Privacy Mode, or an Incognito Window, users can see what it is like to approach a site as a new user. Using the privacy mode to see such things is much easier for someone like the Director of Marketing than maintaining and switching to a different profile or program to see the same.
- Shopping Without Suggestions – Several websites seek to make a user’s experience more valuable by providing suggestions based upon your past behavior and purchases. While this is a noble goal, there are times when you would prefer to not have your suggestions influenced by your past. For example, if you are looking for something different or completely new to you, those helpful suggestions aren’t so helpful. Getting movie or music download recommendations based on the universe versus based on Bob Smith can provide for a perspective broadening experience.
- Providing Honest Input – Ever been to a website that you have an affiliation with? Maybe one that you work for, or one that advertises on your website, and then wanted to comment on something, but were afraid of possible retaliation or a misunderstanding? While privacy mode is no excuse to become a jerk, constructive criticism can be important for both the user and the provider. A quick jump into Incognito mode helps ensure that your comments aren’t linked to your seller ID.
- Actual Privacy – Whatever the teenage boys trapped inside grown-up bodies might say to the contrary, there are plenty of reasons to just want a little extra bit of privacy as provided by IE Privacy Mode or Google Incognito. Between auto-complete web addresses, the Speed Dial like functionality of Google’s default page, and web form auto-fill, there are a thousand ways that someone jumping on your computer browser to handle a quick task could ruin your privacy. Most mainstream companies point toward online shopping as the reason you might want some privacy, which only fans the red-faced finger pointing. Imagine instead, the co-worker (you know, the gossipy one) who wants to check the company Intranet at baubles.net and upon typing “b-a” gets an auto-complete suggestion of “baby-advice.com” and suddenly turns around and asks if your wife is pregnant in a loud voice. Frankly, you would probably prefer they thought you were looking at porn. It doesn’t take long to think of 50 other instances that might arise, all of which can now be quickly and easily handled without having to turn off useful features like auto-complete, or managing different profiles.
- Using Multiple Accounts Without Logging Out – Whether you need two Gmail accounts — one for personal use and one for business use — of if you want to run 18 different Twitter accounts, privacy mode gives you the ability to login in as one of the other accounts without having to log off of your other account. Just open up an Incognito Chrome window or fire off a Private Browsing session. When you get to the login page, you won’t get any hassle about already being logged in.
Don’t let the giggling, eye-rolling, finger pointing stop you from dropping into privacy mode whenever you feel like what you are doing is nobody’s business, or if you just need a little peak at what something looks like “from the outside.” You’ll be surprised at how often you end up using it.
Top 5 Uses for Google Incognito Windows and Internet Explorer Privacy Mode
When Google released its Chrome browser, there was a lot of focus on two features, the faster JavaScript engine, named V8, and the privacy mode, named Incognito. The latter was the subject of much snickering and finger pointing as the blog-heads promptly nicknamed the feature "porno mode," suggesting that the only reason for having a privacy feature like Incognito was to use your computer to surf the Internet for pornography.
The reaction to Google’s inclusion of a browsing privacy mode was ironic, considering the considerable heat the company takes from the same group of users for its own privacy policy and data collection techniques. The same users who wail about how much Google might know about its users and what it does with that data was the same group to suggest that the only people who need privacy from their browser are perverts who look at pornography all day long. This begs the question why these writers are so concerned then with their privacy for searches; presumably because they are searching for porn all day long. That being said, there have emerged several very useful needs for the privacy mode included in browsers like Google Chrome, and now Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Top 5 Uses For Internet Browser Privacy Mode
- Pure Search Results – When you search via Google and other search engines, the search results you get are often colored by your past searching and other online behavior. Thus, if Google’s systems detect that in the past you have searched regularly for tree root watering kits, then your searches for "root kits" are likely to have results returned that have something to do with watering plants, while a heavy searcher of Unix utilities would find the same search slanted toward computer based root kits. This makes it difficult to get an idea of what a "pure" search ranking looks like. The standard techniques to avoid this require things like creating a separate Firefox profile, or using a different browser, and so on. A quick click over to Privacy Mode, though ensures search results that are not colored by previous searches.
- Testing New User Experience – Likewise, many websites offer a different experience to users who are returning users versus the one they offer to new users. Also, many sites behave differently depending upon whether or not the user has logged in before from a specific computer. By entering into Privacy Mode, or an Incognito Window, users can see what it is like to approach a site as a new user. Using the privacy mode to see such things is much easier for someone like the Director of Marketing than maintaining and switching to a different profile or program to see the same.
- Shopping Without Suggestions – Several websites seek to make a user’s experience more valuable by providing suggestions based upon your past behavior and purchases. While this is a noble goal, there are times when you would prefer to not have your suggestions influenced by your past. For example, if you are looking for something different or completely new to you, those helpful suggestions aren’t so helpful. Getting movie or music download recommendations based on the universe versus based on Bob Smith can provide for a perspective broadening experience.
- Providing Honest Input – Ever been to a website that you have an affiliation with? Maybe one that you work for, or one that advertises on your website, and then wanted to comment on something, but were afraid of possible retaliation or a misunderstanding? While privacy mode is no excuse to become a jerk, constructive criticism can be important for both the user and the provider. A quick jump into Incognito mode helps ensure that your comments aren’t linked to your seller ID.
- Actual Privacy – Whatever the teenage boys trapped inside grown-up bodies might say to the contrary, there are plenty of reasons to just want a little extra bit of privacy as provided by IE Privacy Mode or Google Incognito. Between auto-complete web addresses, the Speed Dial like functionality of Google’s default page, and web form auto-fill, there are a thousand ways that someone jumping on your computer browser to handle a quick task could ruin your privacy. Most mainstream companies point toward online shopping as the reason you might want some privacy, which only fans the red-faced finger pointing. Imagine instead, the co-worker (you know, the gossipy one) who wants to check the company Intranet at baubles.net and upon typing “b-a” gets an auto-complete suggestion of “baby-advice.com” and suddenly turns around and asks if your wife is pregnant in a loud voice. Frankly, you would probably prefer they thought you were looking at porn. It doesn’t take long to think of 50 other instances that might arise, all of which can now be quickly and easily handled without having to turn off useful features like auto-complete, or managing different profiles.
Don’t let the giggling, eye-rolling, finger pointing stop you from dropping into privacy mode whenever you feel like what you are doing is nobody’s business, or if you just need a little peak at what something looks like “from the outside.” You’ll be surprised at how often you end up using it.
