After studying this chapter you will be able to understand: What is social networking? the good, the bad and the ugly; how to protect yourself; how to protect your children.
Professional Practices in Information Technology CSC 110 ProfessionalPracticesin Information Technology HandBook COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (Virtual Campus) Islamabad, Pakistan Professional Practices in Information Technology CSC 110 Lecture 16 Secure Social Networking 16. 1 Overview – What is Social Networking? – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – How to protect yourself – How to protect your children What is Social Networking? Wikipedia A social network service focuses on building online communities of people who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. National Cyber Alert System “Social networking sites…build on the concept of traditional social networks where you are connected to new people through the people you already know.”“Friend of a Friend” Web 2.0 technology that “allows users to interact with others and to change website content, in contrast to noninteractive websites that are limited to passive viewing of information.” (Wikipedia) Examples: Social networking sites, video sharing sites, blogs, etc Facebook&Myspace Freeaccess social networking websites Professional Practices in Information Technology CSC 110 Twitter – “micro” blog – 140 characters or less Blog – shared online journal Video Sharing Sites – YouTube, Flikr Podcast – audio broadcast that can be downloaded 16.2 The Good, the bad and the Ugly The Good – Networking – Communicating – Reconnecting with old friends – Keeping up with family – Business marketing and promotion i.e., Facebook, Twitter – Entertaining and fun Virginia Tech Example After shooting rampage in 2007, campus in lockdown mode, phone lines jammed, website overloaded – students, faculty, staff used “…MySpace and Facebook to get in touch with family and friends outside traditional channels.” It was also used to “…send condolences, share memories and gain closure.” *SC Magazine, article “Social Anxiety”, page 21, August 2009 Professional Practices in Information Technology CSC 110 The Bad and the Ugly Personal information could get in the wrong hands.Phishing scams, viruses and spyware may spread through social networks.Once you’ve posted something, others can copy it or it may exist in cache, so that even if you delete it, it may still exist and is out of your control Antisocial? If you spend all your time on the computer – Internet provides sense on anonymity – Lack of physical contact may give false sense of security – People may post information for friends to read, forgetting that others may see it Examples The case of a person asking for emergency money while impersonating a Facebook user to her friends http://eliasbizannes.com/blog/2009/01/phishingforfraudonfacebook/ Also the British MI6 chief that was exposed by his wife’s Facebook pictures: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article1197562/MI6chiefblowscoverwifesFacebook accountrevealsfamilyholidaysshowbizfriendslinksDavidIrving.html How can you protect yourself? Keep private information private – Do not post address, ssn, phone number, financial info, your schedule, full birth date – Be careful not to display information used to answer security questions (e.g., favorite pet, mother’s maiden name) Professional Practices in Information Technology CSC 110 Use caution when you click links Be careful about installing extras on your site Be wary of unknown friends (strangers) Google yourself Don’t blindly connect Trust your gut instinct Use and maintain antivirus software Use strong passwords Don’t use the same password for a social networking site and for your email Remember social networking sites are a public resource – like a billboard in cyberspace Evaluate sites privacy settings – Lock down your profile information to people you accepts as a friend. That way no one can read your personal information unless they are an approved friend Be skeptical Protect your children “It’s 10 p.m., do you know where your children are?” – “And who they are talking to online?” Age limits on some social networking sites – Facebook and MySpace open to people 13 and older – Twitter open to all Talk to children about online safety. Tell them to keep personal information private. Explain what personal information is (address, ssn, phone number, schedule, birth date, etc.), and to not share personal information of their family or their friends either Professional Practices in Information Technology CSC 110 Caution them about sharing information such as school names, sports teams, where they work, hang out or other info that can be used to identify or locate them offline.Warn them to only be “friends” with people they actually know and are friendly with in real life – Talk to them about bullying – Remind them that once they post information online, just because they delete it, it might not be really gone – Warn about dangers of flirting with strangers online. Warn about online sex talk – Tell them to trust their gut if suspicious Keep the computer in an open area, like the kitchen or family room Use the Internet with your kids. – Create a Facebook or MySpace profile – Be one of their “friends” – Let your kids know that you are there – Teach them how to act as they socialize online Check their profile – Check the privacy settings – Review their list of friends Professional Practices in Information Technology CSC 110 – Make sure their screen name doesn’t say too much about them. It may be dangerous to use full name, age or hometown ... memories and gain closure.” *SC Magazine, article “Social Anxiety”, page 21, August 2009 Professional Practices in Information Technology CSC 110 The Bad and the Ugly Personal information could get in the wrong hands.Phishing scams, viruses and spyware may .. .Professional Practices in Information Technology CSC 110 Lecture 16 Secure Social Networking 16. 1 Overview – What is Social Networking? – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly... Reconnecting with old friends – Keeping up with family – Business marketing and promotion i.e., Facebook, Twitter – Entertaining and fun Virginia Tech Example After shooting rampage in 2007, campus in lockdown