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Facebook faced major backlash last month after they implemented a new tool that linked your interests to sites across the Internet and allowed third parties access to your information unless you specifically deny such access. As we mentioned in yesterday’s blog about an easy way to configure your privacy settings in Facebook, there are 50 different settings with more than 170 options!
Many Facebook users have been extremely vocal about their frustrations, even organizing efforts to quit the quickly growing site. According to CNN Facebook will be reversing these changes today to make them simpler for the user with the intent of increasing user privacy.
“I can confirm that our new, simpler user controls will begin rolling out tomorrow. I can’t say more yet,” Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes told CNN in an e-mail Tuesday.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention, Online Privacy by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: CNN, Facebook, Facebook Changes, John Sileo, Mark Zuckerberg, Online/Social Media Privacy, Privacy Settings, social networking
We need a Facebook Privacy Tool that isn’t written by Facebook. Currently, to effectively manage your privacy on Facebook, you’ve got to alter 50 settings with more than 170 options.
Maybe that is why Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg confessed on Monday that the quickly expanding social network had “missed the mark” when it comes to its complex privacy controls — and pledged to do better.
Can you imagine keeping up with all your Privacy Settings every time Facbook makes a change? Until Facebook figures it out, a new Privacy Awareness Group—ReclaimPrivacy.org, has developed a tool that scans your Facebook privacy settings to tell you how secure your personal information is. The tool comes in the form of a bookmark for your web browser. Start by dragging the bookmark from the website above to your bookmarks/favorites. Then, log into your Facebook account, go to the privacy settings screen and click on the bookmark. After the tool scans your privacy settings in six areas—Facebook’s Instant Personalization feature; your personal data; contact information; friends, tags, and connections; what your friends can share about you; and whether applications can leak your personal data—it tells you what areas are secure and where you may want to consider tweaking your settings.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention, Online Privacy by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Facebook, Facebook Privacy Tool, Identity Theft Prevention, John Sileo, Mark Zuckerberg, Privacy, Privacy Settings, ReclaimPrivacy.org, Social Networking Expert
Your business-class photocopier is essentially a computer that can be hacked. It has a hard drive and saves an image of everything you copy. Customer data, invoices, employee records, intellectual capital, personal identity. This is not new information – we’ve been writing about it for years. But the press is finally beginning to pay attention because they have seen for themselves the type of data that can be extracted from corporations by purchasing their used copiers (see the excellent CBS video to the left).
If you’ve attended on of my Privacy Survival Boot Camps or have seen me speak for your organization, you will recognize the spy terminology used below that I use to train on effectively evaluating privacy risks. Here is a brief primer to help you get started on protecting your business from this threat:
Posted in Burning Questions (Video), Fraud Detection & Prevention, Identity Theft Prevention, Video Tips by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Hard Drives, Identity Theft Prevention, Information Privacy, Information Privacy Professional, John Sileo, Photo Copier, Photo Copiers, Photocopier, Photocopier Identity Theft, Photocopiers
The story about the Harvard student who fraudulently gained access into Harvard University is an excellent lesson in repelling fraud. Watching the video to the left, you will be struck by how many opportunities there were to catch him in the act of lying. But it didn’t happen for a long time. The underlying reason he didn’t get caught is the same for prestigious universities like Harvard, Fortune 500 Companies and small businesses alike:
No one verified his claims (until recently). Verification is a learned skill that is under-utilized and under-
trained in corporate America.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Adam Wheeler, Admissions, Fraud Training, Harvard, Identity Theft Prevention, Identity Theft Speaker, John Sileo, Scam
Facebook has announced a new security feature that focuses on keeping users’ information safe from hackers attempting to gain access into your account.
The feature was announced last Thursday, and is similar to how secured banking sites work — they only let you access the site from approved computers. If you are attempting to log onto your Facebook account from an unknown computer, device, or location, Facebook will notify you via email and lock down your account in case it is under attack. To regain access, you will have to follow the link in the email which will lead you through a security check to verify your identity. They will ask you a few security questions and have you acknowledge that it was in fact YOU (or if it wasn’t you, then you notify Facebook at this point) trying to access your account.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention, Online Privacy by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: CNN, Facebook, identity theft expert, Information Control, John Sileo, Privacy, Social Networking Speaker
Breaking News
Google has apologized after admitting that they were “accidentally” collecting users personal information that was sent over unsecured wifi networks. Head of communications at Google, Peter Barron, told the BBC that this was a ‘mistake‘ and more robust procedures will be put in place.
John Sileo became one of America’s leading Social Networking Speakers & sought after Identity Theft Experts after he lost his business and more than $300,000 to identity theft and data breach. His clients include the Department of Defense, Pfizer and the FDIC. To learn more about having him speak at your next meeting or conference, contact him by email or on 800.258.8076.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention, Video Tips by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: breaking news, data collection, Google, identity theft expert, John Sileo, social networking, wifi
Wouldn’t you think Ben Stiller is famous enough to be immune to losing his identity to a thief? Not so! Credit card scams can bring anyone to their knees, even Hollywood’s most famous!
Many celebrities have recently been the victims of a credit card scam that seems too easy to be true. All it took was the suspect calling the credit card companies using the stars’ personal information, claiming the cards had been lost. He requested the replacement cards be sent to a Chicago address and in a matter of days was able to begin his shopping spree. Eventually, a skeptical undercover agent from the US Postal Inspection Service was able to think like a spy and detect the fraud after he hand-delivered the cards to the suspect.
Now this week Adedamola Olatunji, 29, a Nigerian-born man who allegedly used Stiller’s card to run up charges on iTunes and an on-line dating service, was indicted on forgery, mail fraud, theft, aggravated identity theft, computer fraud and other felony charges.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Ben Stiller, Credit card Scams, identity theft expert, Identity Theft Prevention, Identity Theft Speaker, John Sileo, social engineering, Think Like A Spy
Dishonest Employees are a serious issue and common cause for corporate data breach. In this video, identity theft speaker and data theft expert John Sileo discusses several tools that will help you reduce the chances that you are hiring a data thief into your business. The Top 3 Tips for preventing the hire of dishonest employees are:
1. Insure that reference verification procedures are not just in place, but are actually taking place. The difference between a good policy and actual application is what separates best-in-class privacy cultures from those corporations that end up on the front page of the Wall Street Journal as the poster child for data breach.
2. Perform comprehensive background screening in both the hiring process and after the candidate has become an employee. Believe it or not, employees do commit crimes after they have already taken a job with you. If necessary, utilize a strong background screening service to help you flag dishonest candidates.
Posted in Fraud Detection & Prevention, Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: background screening, Dishonest Employees, human resources, Identity Theft Speaker, John Sileo
Dishonest Employees are a serious issue and common cause for corporate data breach. In this video, identity theft speaker and data theft expert John Sileo discusses several tools that will help you reduce the chances that you are hiring a data thief into your business. The Top 3 Tips for preventing the hire of dishonest employees are:
1. Insure that reference verification procedures are not just in place, but are actually taking place. The difference between a good policy and actual application is what separates best-in-class privacy cultures from those corporations that end up on the front page of the Wall Street Journal as the poster child for data breach.
2. Perform comprehensive background screening in both the hiring process and after the candidate has become an employee. Believe it or not, employees do commit crimes after they have already taken a job with you. If necessary, utilize a strong background screening service to help you flag dishonest candidates.
Posted in Burning Questions (Video), Fraud Detection & Prevention, Identity Theft Prevention, Video Tips by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: background screening, Dishonest Employees, human resources, Identity Theft Speaker, John Sileo
