Remember when a fishing trip meant long days sat with your Dad, miles from anywhere, staring at a pond with a few cold ones and your Dad telling you not to drink the beer too fast? Nope, my Dad didn’t … Continue reading Let’s Go Phishing…
I have to admit I really like the new Microsoft To-DO app for Windows and Android. You can create lists of to-do’s, it has a My Day function and lots of useful detail. Once I’d created my first set of serious to-do’s I suddenly realized how much sensitive data there was in my to-do’s. While I’m ok with Microsoft collecting and analyzing usage data, how many times I use the app, what platforms, where was I when I used them etc. I’m totally against them reading, copying or sharing the to-do’s with anyone that I have not explicitly authorized. I … Continue reading Microsoft TO-DO Privacy
Marketplace recently tweeted asking how social media had changed or impacted your life. Of course I had a response. They emailed today to ask if I’d record a voicemail, and used a segment of it in todays show for a segment called: “thefacebook.com” went live 15-years ago today. A lot has changed since then. We asked you about how social media changed your life — for better or for worse. Here were some of your answers: https://t.co/baStpKvQJn pic.twitter.com/WM8z6BCf9i — Marketplace (@Marketplace) February 4, 2019 In addition to what went on the show, what I also said was: I had a … Continue reading 15-Seconds of fame from Facebooks 15-years.
They figured out how do you tweak people’s vanities and their passions and their susceptibilities and their desires in order to keep them on the site. Source: The Central Question Behind Facebook: ‘What Does Mark Zuckerberg Believe In?’ : NPR If you have not heard it, the above NPR Fresh Air interview by Dave Davies with Evan Osnos, a New Yorker Staff writer is well worth the listen. Since that interview, we’ve had two more announcements of significance from Facebook. October 11th, the evil empire announced that they’d disabled some 66 accounts or what Facebook described as: dozens of accounts … Continue reading Your infrequent reminder, Facebook is evil
Google+ is what happens when you try to take on an incumbent, don’t communicate your vision, and then leave the rotting carcass to fester and be eaten by the maggots. In this case the maggots were a security vulnerability that exposed the private data of up to 500,000 users It turns out Google knew about the vulnerability back in March 2018, but decided not to disclose it as, as far they know, it hadn’t been exploited. If your data was upto date and complete, there was enough there to perform a rudimentary phishing attack. In my case, my phone number, … Continue reading Delete your Google+ profile
This is a good explanation of why it is way past time to stop using your Facebook ID to login to other sites. Personally while I still occasionally wish I could login to facebook to check on relatives, otherwise I don’t miss it at all. No matter what facebook do, there will continue to be security and privacy breaches like this. Facebook wanted to become “the web” and along with that aspiration, they also became a focal point for all the hackers, scammers, and those wishing to game the system. #deletefacebook Source: Why You Shouldn’t Use Facebook to Log … Continue reading Why You Shouldn’t Use Facebook to Log In to Other Sites – The New York Times
On a day when the likelihood is you’ve been bombarded with GDPR emails from companies you’ve done business with, or just whose websites you’ve registered with, there is no better comparison of the difference between how the European Commision and the USA are dealing with our privacy. While the new General Data Protection Regulation comes into force tomorrow (May 25th), which isn’t as many think, a reaction to the Facebook privacy scandal, the regulation which took seven years of negotiation, and will force changes in a braod range of industries, including, but not limited to technology, advertising, medicine and banking. … Continue reading Privacy: Europe vs the USA
The questions that Zuckerberg never answered, including this: How will you be remembered: As one the three big internet giants along with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates who have enriched our world, or as the genius who created a digital monster that is destroying our democracy and society? https://gizmodo.com/mark-zuckerberg-played-parliament-for-fools-and-theyre-1826227452 Continue reading Europe vs Facebook
“If things play out with AI the way that they have done with Facebook, we’re in a lot of trouble.” Jonathan Nolan Source: The Popularity Of ‘Westworld’ Points To Our Anxiety About AI, The Show’s Creators Say | Here & Now Continue reading The Popularity Of ‘Westworld’ Points To Our Anxiety About AI
In the push-back over the Facebook privacy scandal, many are also asking questions about the data other platforms have. Many commentators draw a parallel to Google. For my part, this is valid at least as far as tracking, visiting locations etc. goes. Since I have a Google Phone, with a Google Fi service, and I use Google Maps, I pretty much expect them to track me. In addition, in my prior home I had Google Fiber, plus add in all the Youtube videos, if you watch movies or listen to music on Google Play; they have my calendar; all my … Continue reading The Data that Google has