Do You Really Want People to ‘Ask’ on Facebook?

Facebook has quietly rolled out the Ask feature on its site, giving users the opportunity to ask to flesh out the data that they can't see on a friend's page. The less information the person has made public on their profile, of course, the more there is to ‘Ask’. When the info is requested, the user will receive a notification from that friend (along with a personal message if they chose to write one) and then a list of options for replying -- options that are themselves taken from other friends' profiles. While a person's hometown or workplace might be fairly straightforward, the option to ask a person's relationship status has raised a few eyebrows. After all, what if "it's complicated"? Either way, there's no obligation to reply to the questions. But, it could lead some Facebook users to question whether they really want to be handing out that info to the thousands of 'friends' they've accumulated over the years.

Using Social Data to Create Peer Pressure

Did you know that utility companies across the U.S. have been taking advantage of peer pressure to reduce energy consumption by including charts in electricity bills showing how energy efficient you are compared to your neighbors? Companies such as Opower and My Energy have developed these data systems, and they can now point to studies that show the combination of data and social pressure reduces home energy use. Activity trackers like the FitBit offer peer data so that you can compare your activity levels to others you know. These new uses of social data are being used to harness the power of peer pressure for changing behavior and the marketing of new products, many for good purposes, but it is important to understand that your data may be used for purposes, and in ways, you may never have imagined and especially to be aware that this kind of data driven peer pressure is often just a marketing strategy. This is certainly a development to watch out for.

EBay Users Should Change Their Passwords After Breach

EBay is urging users to change their passwords after a hack attack on a database with encrypted passwords and non-financial data. The database includes information such as customers' names, encrypted passwords, email and physical addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth. As of the end of their first quarter, the company has 145 million active buyers.

The Right To Be Forgotten

Europe’s highest court ruled recently that people have the "right to be forgotten" and can ask Google to remove some sensitive information from Internet search results. The court ruled that Google, if asked to do so, must amend links to information shown to be outdated or information deemed to be irrelevant. While these results apply only to Europe, for now, it could have consequences here in the US as well. As many who have been cyberbullied have discovered, it is almost impossible to have information removed from an online link. The ruling states that the individual's fundamental rights override "the economic interest of the operator of the search engine but also the interest of the general public" in having access to that information. Stay tuned to see how this plays out over time. Right now, there are far more questions than answers about what this ruling means.

Reset the Net

A coalition of nearly two-dozen tech companies and civil liberties groups is launching a new fight against mass internet surveillance, hoping to battle the NSA in much the same way online campaigners pushed back on bad piracy legislation in 2012. The new coalition, organized by Fight for the Future, is planning a Reset the Net day of action on June 5, the anniversary of the date the first Edward Snowden story broke detailing the government’s PRISM program, based on documents leaked by the former NSA contractor. “Government spies have a weakness: they can hack anybody, but they can’t hack everybody,” the organizers behind the Reset the Net movement say in the video on the site. “Folks like the NSA depend on collecting insecure data from tapped fiber. They depend on our mistakes, mistakes we developers can fix.” To that end, the groups are calling on developers to add at least one NSA resistant feature to mobile apps, and on websites to add security features like SSL (Secure Socket Layer), HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security), and Perfect Forward Secrecy to better secure the communication of users.         

Google Tips and Tricks

Part of feeling safe online is knowing some of the secrets – in this case fun secrets – that are part of the tools you use online everyday. Most of us use Google at least for something every day, but there are actually lots of little extras built into everything from the Google front page to the Google search engine. For example, did you know you get the info you need on a flight or a FedEx tracking number just by typing those into the search line? And, here’s a good one for your privacy. Try Google Reverse Image Search. Go to your Google home page and then click Images. You can click the little camera icon and either drag and drop a photo or upload one from your computer. What do you get? You'll get a page listing the other places that image has been seen on the Web - and, in most cases, Google's best guess as to what it is. The practical uses of this, if you think about it for a bit, are many! It can help you figure out everything from the name of an actor in a movie to the brand name of an appliance or piece of furniture to a toy, plant, or animal. It can also help you track down any errant pictures a family member might have posted that you are trying to eliminate.

Thinking About Warrantless Phone Searches During an Arrest

The Supreme Court recently heard arguments in two cases testing whether police can search cellphones without a warrant at the time of an arrest, be it for a traffic violation or for a felony. The court has long allowed police to search people without a warrant at the time of their arrest. But, as privacy advocates point out, until very recently, those searches, under the Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches, were self-limiting, meaning they were limited by the amount of information an individual could carry on his person. Now, however, because cellphones can store so much information, a person can carry more than any one of the Founding Fathers had amassed in a lifetime. So, for the Supreme Court, the question is whether to stick with the rules allowing warrantless searches at the time of arrest, or whether to adapt those rules to the modern digital era and the ubiquitous smartphone. It could be an interesting set of findings as the members of the Supreme Court seem to be just as confused about things like the privacy settings on Facebook as are the rest of us. It would also be a good topic of discussion with your kids.

What to Do About Heartbleed

So, what should you be doing about Heartbleed?

1. Know what it is: Heartbleed is the name of a major security vulnerability that may affect nearly two-thirds of websites online. It’s a severe situation potentially exposing your login information—your username and password—and other sensitive information about you.

2. Try to find out if the online service you are concerned about has updated their servers in order to compensate for the Heartbleed vulnerability. Do not change your passwords until you’ve done this. A lot of outlets are reporting that you need to do this as soon as possible, but the problem is that Heartbleed primarily affects the server end of communications, meaning if the server hasn’t been updated with Heartbleed in mind, then changing your password will not have the desired outcome. Mashable has a list of popular websites affected by the Heartbleed vulnerability. View that list, but keep in mind that this list is not comprehensive, but it is an excellent place to start.

3. Don’t be taken in by a phishing attack trying to get you to change one password on various services. Don’t go to a site where you want to or need to change your password from a link in an email sent about your password. Instead, manually head to the website yourself, log in, and then, change your password.

4. Keep an ear out about Heartbleed and other related security flaws, do some research on them, and then make the appropriate changes.

5. Think about getting a Password Manager program like 1Password to help you keep track of your passwords, let you change them easily and efficiently, and keep you from being tempted to use the same password for more than one site.

6. Understand that Heartbleed may just be the tip of the iceberg. Heartbleed "underscores the possibility that there are potentially so many vulnerabilities out there right now, right under our noses, that we don't quite realize. One of these days someone will -- and I hope the good guys find it first," Verizon's Bryan Sartin says.

When a Free App For Kids Isn’t Really Free

Most free apps have a way of making money – and that is not always good for parents and kids. So, how can you find the best free apps for kids? Read Jinny Gudmundsen’s take on the question and find out when free really does mean free and how to find those apps.

Personal Data Breaches Reported Expanding

A new study by Pew Research found that 18 percent of American adults with Internet access have reported that their personal information was stolen in a data breach. That's up from 11 percent who reported the same last July. And, this is serious personal information being taken here -- such as Social Security and credit card numbers and banking information. The percentage of those reporting a breach of their e-mail, social media, or other online accounts held steady at 21 percent in both years. Of course, this survey was done before the Heartbleed bug was discovered making all Web surfers wonder whether they should change their passwords to prevent theft of their email accounts, credit card numbers, and other sensitive information.