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Social Media as a Risk?

posted 12 Jan 2011, 22:37 by Jess Maher   [ updated 12 Jan 2011, 23:51 ]

I wish I had knew more about this topic earlier- my Dad passed away two months ago, as an avid social media user himself he and I actually had a conversation about what he would want to happen to his "online pressence" in the envent that something did hypothetically happen, he simply said (his sudden death and sense of humor make me feel this must be quoted word for word) "I don't care, I would be dead. What would be important is what you guys would want to do with it! Seeing as your Mum still refuses to join Facebook, like she did once upon a time with Internet Banking too if you remember carefully, it would be up to you." 

I immediately when I heard of his death, wanted to protect and save all my correspondence, messages and words from him online but ignorantly also thought it was best to request the page to be memorialised immediately as his high profile image may invite unwelcome activities I thought... I wish I hadn't... the more I look at death & social media & ownership & digital rights, the more it makes me aware we need some better answers before the "digital natives" are anywhere near old enough to worry about the kind of things I have been struggling with trying to keep, claim or save anything of someones life online... 



SOME BLOGS & REPORTS THAT HAVE RECENTLY ENLIGHTENED ME & MADE ME CONSIDER MY OWN SOCIAL MEDIA USE & KNOWLEDGE INCLUDE...


Attacks on Social Networks Increase By 70 Percent

A survey finds that 60 percent of executives view Facebook as a security threat. Meanwhile, experts see LinkedIn as a particular area of vulnerability.

By Courtney Rubin |  Feb 2, 2010   |      http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/02/social-network-attacks-have-tripled.html


Unintended Consequences: How to Keep Social Media from Becoming a Security Risk

By Minda Zetli            |      http://technology.inc.com/internet/articles/201101/unintended-consequences-how-to-keep-social-media-from-becoming-a-security-risk.html?partner=newsletter_Technology

Social media is a major boon for business -- it helps you connect with customers, report on outages, and even brag about accomplishments. But social media can also expose your plans and aid the competition.
All this comes under the heading of what Manes calls "inference analysis," the science of assembling pieces of information to see what can be learned. His company uses inference analysis to discover what sensitive information his clients are sharing online, and he says criminals are out there doing the same thing. 

Sophos Security Threat Report: 2010

Furthermore, over 72% of firms believe that employees’ behavior on social networking sites could endanger their business’s security. This has increased from 66% in the previous study. The number of businesses that were targets for spam, phishing and malware via social networking sites increased dramatically, with spam showing the sharpest rise from 33.4% in April to 57% in December. This highlights a surge in exploitation of such sites by spammers2.

   http://www.sophos.com/sophos/docs/eng/papers/sophos-security-threat-report-jan-2010-wpna.pdf


Why You Should Make Privacy a Priority

A new study ranks America's most trusted companies -- and reveals customers' feelings about how safety affect the brand.

By Courtney Rubin |  Mar 12, 2010           |            http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/03/making-privacy-a-priority.html

No small businesses actually made the Top 20 – could it be because 56 percent of small businesses don't even have a privacy policy on their Web sites? – but the Ponemon results still provide a useful lesson. Facebook, for example, made the list last year but not the current one – which comes as no surprise, as 2009 saw the site face serious security breaches as well as a very public debate about their privacy policies.



http://nvca.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=108&Itemid=136

TRUSTe Survey Findings Indicate Majority of Small Businesses Neglect Vital Privacy Measures


In addition to having shaky privacy policies among small businesses with Web sites, security on small business sites may be an issue as well: the survey reports that 21 percent of small businesses don't know if they have encrypted pages on their web site, and 30 percent admitted that they didn't know if they were PCI compliant. This lack of knowledge invites privacy lapses and security breaches that could lead to a consumer's information being stolen or abused. Furthermore, it suggests a critical need for steps to ensure the Web site is a trustworthy landing point so that small businesses may conduct business safely and their customers have the best, safest experience possible.
Consumer discomfort online can be a huge pain point in online sales, according to recent research:

  • Thirty-six percent of consumers claimed they would not use their credit or debit card to make a purchase with a Web merchant they didn't know. (Ponemon Institute, 2007)
  • While merchants anecdotally report that approximately 20-30 percent of online shopping carts are abandoned, research conducted by Marketing Sherpa actually found a 58 percent average abandonment rate.
  • Forty-nine percent of consumers abandon online shopping carts due to fear of identity theft; 53% worry about sharing personal information. (Marketing Sherpa 2006 study)

These statistics indicate a critical need for companies to demonstrate compliance with privacy best practices to gain consumer trust. Although privacy may often be overlooked by small businesses, it is essential to a company's success in an anemic economic climate.

For more information on privacy for small businesses and to take an online quiz, go to www.truste.com/about/privacy_policy_quiz.html




Making sure we have back ups? 



How to Back Up Your Social Media Accounts

http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/10/how-to-back-up-your-social-media-accounts.html#


What would happen if you lost all of the data you share on social networks? Here's why, and how you should back up your favorite social tools.
Imagine if your Facebook account were suspended and deleted.  What would you do if your entire LinkedIn network suddenly disappeared?  If your Flickr photos were no longer accessible or if Twitter crashed yet again, only this time for good?

Online networking and collaboration have become a dominant part of our daily routines. According to a recent study conducted by Nielsen and released in early August, social networking occupies twice as much of our time online as any other activity. Facebook and Twitter alone account for 22.7% of our time on the web, with online games and e-mail a distant second and third, respectively.



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