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Nine tips for protecting your privacy online

Facebook's recent 'instant personalization' has the blogosphere buzzing, and the privacy implications haven't gone unnoticed. Some believe that privacy is effectively dead online, and that individuals simply need to "get over it."

But is that really the case? Is privacy dead? For those of us who are active online, maintaining privacy can be a difficult task, but it's not impossible.

by Patricio Robles 12 May 2010 09:01am 0 comments

Facebook to Zynga: we're not in Farmville any more

Facebook has sat by and watched as prominent application developers have made millions upon millions of dollars on its platform, primarily through virtual currency. Not surprisingly, Facebook wants a piece of the action and is moving to take a piece of the action.

But that may not be so easy if the results of early deal making efforts are any indication. Application developer Zynga, which operates some of the most popular social gaming apps on Facebook, including Farmville and Mafia Wars, may leave Facebook and set up its own gaming social network after negotiations with Facebook over the use of Facebook's upcoming universal payments and credits system reportedly fell apart.

by Patricio Robles 10 May 2010 15:45pm 5 comments

Privacy, security and the social web

Two words are increasingly surfacing in discussions of an internet that becomes more and more social each day: 'privacy' and 'security'. The reason: the social web seems to be increasingly eroding personal privacy and introducing new online security concerns.

Many groups believe that something needs to be done, and it appears that governments are starting to eye action of their own. But is it too late?

by Patricio Robles 07 May 2010 09:01am 2 comments

Facebook prepares to launch its location feature — with ads from McDonald's

With all of the interest in local and mobile advertising going on right now, Facebook has been quickly preparing its own location-based check-in feature. And now it looks like the social network could be close to launching.

And Facebook is seeking the help of McDonald's as an initial launch partner. When check-in to McDonald's from their status updates — which could happen as soon as this month — they'll also be able to feature a McDonald's product in their post. Doesn't that sound like fun?

by Meghan Keane 06 May 2010 22:48pm 4 comments

Consumers are sharing risky information on social networks — but companies like Facebook aren't helping

As individuals become increasingly comfortable sharing information online, they are also ceding their privacy in new — and sometimes dangerous — ways. According to a Consumer Reports survey released today, over half (52%) of social network users are oversharing online. And cybercriminals are taking note. The information shared on social networks is particularly susceptible to criminals looking to find and steal personal information.

At a panel in New York sponsored by Consumer Reports today, speakers agreed that consumers are posting risky information online. But many companies are exacerbating the issue with confusing — and frequently changing — privacy policies.

by Meghan Keane 04 May 2010 20:20pm 2 comments

Facebook's ad changes could cost CPM advertisers

Consumers have been more concerned about Facebook privacy than usual since the social network introduced "instant personalization." And now it looks like advertisers might have a reason to be wary of Facebook policy changes as well.

According to a letter that Facebook sent out to advertisers late last week, brands that have been buying CPM ads on the network may soon find their campaigns becoming less effective.

by Meghan Keane 03 May 2010 23:20pm 2 comments

Is Twitter 'mainstream'? It's complicated

Twitter seems to be everywhere these days. Twitter has gone way beyond techies and first-adopters. It's now used (and promoted) by major brands, celebrities and politicians, amongst many others.

From this perspective, Twitter would appear to be quite 'mainstream'. But is it? Based on the figures published in this year's Edison Research/Arbitron Internet & Multimedia Study, the answer is...it depends on what you mean by 'mainstream'.

by Patricio Robles 30 April 2010 11:10am 4 comments

Spotify looks to make digital music more social

Popular European music streaming startup Spotify has been able to survive and thrive in a tough market that has seen its fair share of startup casualties. In an effort to maintain its growth, it has announced the largest upgrade since it first launched in 2008.

The goal: turn Spotify into a "total music management platform". The means: a hefty dose of social features.

by Patricio Robles 28 April 2010 09:08am 0 comments

Facebook's rookie privacy mistakes could cripple its quest for digital domination

Facebook has been getting a lot of flack recently. As I wrote last week, Facebook's expansion of Facebook Connect, "instant personalization," opens up a host of privacy issues for users.

And now there's another reason to distrust Facebook. Today it became clear that a privacy hole on the site has made people's event history public. For instance, if you want to go see what events Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been attending, you can do so here.

That's embarassing. And not just because Zuckerberg refuses to use the default privacy settigns on his own site. Quite simply, the company isn't prepared to handle sensitive personal information online.

by Meghan Keane 26 April 2010 23:49pm 1 comment

"Instant personalization" brings more privacy issues to Facebook

Facebook is thinking big with its new releases this week. The social network unveiled several new features at the company's f8 developer conference in California, including an expansion of Facebook Connect that adds social aspects of Facebook to partner sites, without any work for users.

This new feature, called “instant personalization,” is a way to access your social graph in more places online. But if users don't particularly want to know their friends' opinions on new sites — or if they have privacy concerns — opting out will become increasingly tricky.

by Meghan Keane 22 April 2010 22:29pm 4 comments