By now alot of people have heard of the allegations that Facebook security was breached exposing private individual information on FB users. This is the latest article from the New York Times on this issue.
Facebook Acknowledges Privacy Issue With Applications:
MIGUEL HELFT, October 18th, 2010, The New York Times
Facebook said on Monday that it was talking to application developers about how they handle some personal data, after a report said some applications had been improperly sharing the data with advertisers and Web tracking companies.
In a blog post, Mike Vernal, a Facebook engineer, said the company had recently learned that several applications were passing a piece of data known as a user ID to outside companies in a way that violated its privacy policy. User IDs are unique numbers assigned to Facebook members that are used by Facebook and its applications to identify them.
Facebook's statement came after The Wall Street Journal reported late on Sunday that it had found that several Facebook applications were "providing access to people's names and, in some cases, their friends' names" to advertisers and Internet tracking companies. The report said that all 10 of the most popular applications on Facebook, including games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars, were transmitting user IDs to third parties. Three of those applications were also transmitting information about a user's friends, The Journal said.
Facebook also sought to downplay the significance of the problem. "Press reports have exaggerated the implications of sharing" a user ID, Mr. Vernal wrote on a company blog for application developers. "Knowledge of a UID does not enable anyone to access private user information without explicit user consent."
Yet Mr. Vernal acknowledged that the sharing of user IDs was in violation of its privacy policies, and said that it had disabled some programs that did so.
Mr. Vernal said there were technical challenges involved in preventing this problem. "We are talking with our key partners and the broader Web community about possible solutions," he wrote. "We will have more details over the course of the next few days."
Facebook has been hit with a string of controversies over privacy. In May, after a series of complaints from some users and privacy advocates, the company made wholesale changes to its privacy settings. Mark Zuckerberg, the company's chief executive, apologized to users, saying that some of the site's privacy settings had become too complicated for the average user to understand. Despite the changes, the privacy issue has continued to dog Facebook.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Personal Safety - Know Your Felon Neighbors
Do You Know Your Neighbors? I mean, REALLY - Do you know your neighbors?
Just put in your address (or any address around you) & your neighborhood map will pop up.
Use an a business address near you if you’d rather not put in your own, then you can drag the map to Your neighborhood to show those convicted felons.
Every place you see a red balloon or thumb tack is the home of a convicted felon. Just hover your mouse over an icon & not only will the name come up,
but also the crime they were convicted of.
Be advised that these people may not live there anymore and the chances for mistaken identity, especially on common names always exists.
http://www.felonspy.com/search.html
Just put in your address (or any address around you) & your neighborhood map will pop up.
Use an a business address near you if you’d rather not put in your own, then you can drag the map to Your neighborhood to show those convicted felons.
Every place you see a red balloon or thumb tack is the home of a convicted felon. Just hover your mouse over an icon & not only will the name come up,
but also the crime they were convicted of.
Be advised that these people may not live there anymore and the chances for mistaken identity, especially on common names always exists.
http://www.felonspy.com/search.html
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Health Issue - Bed Bug Epidemic
Received this from a friend who got it from Snopes, it was be-bugged, pardon the pun:
Hi All: A bit of information that you might like to know about. We have friends here in our community and one of their sons is an entomologist (insect expert), and has been telling them that there is an epidemic of bed bugs now occurring in America. Recently I have heard on the news that several stores in NYC have had to close due to bed bug problems, as well as a complete mall in New Jersey.
He says that since much of our clothing, sheets, towels, etc. now comes from companies outside of America, (sad but true), even the most expensive stores sell foreign clothing from China, Indonesia, etc. The bed bugs are coming in on the clothing as these countries do not consider them a problem. He recommends that if you buy any new clothing, even underware and socks, sheets, towels, etc. that you bring them into the house and put them in your clothes dryer for at least 20 minutes. The heat will kill them and their eggs. DO NOT PURCHASE CLOTHES AND HANG THEM IN THE CLOSET FIRST. It does not matter what the price range is of the clothing, or if the outfit comes from the most expensive store known in the U.S. They still get shipments from these countries and the bugs can come in a box of scarves or anything else for that matter. That is the reason why so many stores, many of them clothing stores have had to shut down in NYC and other places. All you need is to bring one item into the house that has bugs or eggs and you will go to hell and back trying to get rid of them. He travels all over the country as an advisor to many of these stores, as prevention and after they have the problem.
Send this information on to those on your e-mail list so that this good prevention information gets around quickly.
Origins: This helpful heads-up about bed bug infestations began landing in the snopes.com inbox in early October 2010. While it is true the U.S. is experiencing an explosion in its bedbug population, this phenomenon is not due to the critters' suddenly arriving on clothing manufactured in countries where their presence is winked at — the bedbug problem has been on the rise in the U.S. for years, with all 50 states reporting epidemic levels as far back as 2007. The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) has seen a 71 percent increase in bedbug infestations since 2001, mainly due to international travel.
Xenophobic commentary about clothing imported from China and Indonesia notwithstanding, the email's advice about treating wearables with a lengthy session in the clothes dryer is generally valid. (The warning about new clothing appears a bit over the top, though; we've yet to happen upon credible reports of bedbugs being found in such garments.) Bedbugs will not survive a hot tumble in that appliance, provided the temperature in its interior reaches (and then doesn't go below) 113°F. (There is some dispute about the minimum temperature required to eradicate bedbugs; we've also seen it credibly listed as 120°F.) The length of time clothing needs to be treated in this fashion to fully exterminate bedbugs also varies from source to source: while 20 or 25 minutes are the figures most commonly cited as the duration necessary to kill the lurking bugs, we've also seen recommendations of as little as 5 minutes and as much as 45 minutes.
Bedbugs are the ultimate hitchhikers, quickly taking up residence in suitcases and backpacks set down in infested areas. They are almost unimaginably hardy, capable of surviving for more than a year without eating (which means a house that has sat empty for that length of time could still contain a bedbug population with the potential of driving its new homeowner mad) and able to resist extremes of temperature, from freezing to 113°'F. Despite their name, bedbugs reside everywhere in any given room, not just in its bed. While their most common hiding spots are in the cracks and crevices of mattresses and box springs, they can also hide in furniture, baseboards,
electrical outlets, or any other small space or fabric surface near humans.
The process of eradicating bedbugs that have taken up residence in one's home is a daunting process, generally involving three separate sessions of extermination, with each of those comprising a number of different methods. It's lengthy, expensive, and frustrating, and if any of the bugs are missed, the bedbugs will be back in force in short order.
The best remedy is to not bring bedbugs into your home from other sites in the first place. When staying in hotels, place your bag on a suitcase stand rather than on the floor or the bed. Bed bugs can't easily climb metal, which means your bag and its contents should be relatively safe from them provided you place your valise on a metal-legged suitcase rack. Keep the suitcase rack away from walls and any wooden furniture, thereby preventing the bugs easy access to your belongings. If your hotel room lacks this amenity, you might try leaving your bag in the bath tub. (We've heard bedbugs can't easily climb enamel.) Consider keeping everything in your suitcase during your stay (rather than unpacking its contents) and keeping your bag encased in a thick plastic bag when not in immediate use.
At home, store luggage outside the domicile (in a shed, for example) to prevent any bedbugs that got onboard despite your precautions from entering your house. Immediately wash all clothing you took on your travels, as opposed to letting them sit for a bit in the laundry basket. Be wary of acquiring used furnishings, especially beds and couches. (If you must take on such items, inspect them very carefully for signs of bedbug infestation.) Run any second-hand clothing you've acquired through the dryer as soon as you bring it into the house.
Hi All: A bit of information that you might like to know about. We have friends here in our community and one of their sons is an entomologist (insect expert), and has been telling them that there is an epidemic of bed bugs now occurring in America. Recently I have heard on the news that several stores in NYC have had to close due to bed bug problems, as well as a complete mall in New Jersey.
He says that since much of our clothing, sheets, towels, etc. now comes from companies outside of America, (sad but true), even the most expensive stores sell foreign clothing from China, Indonesia, etc. The bed bugs are coming in on the clothing as these countries do not consider them a problem. He recommends that if you buy any new clothing, even underware and socks, sheets, towels, etc. that you bring them into the house and put them in your clothes dryer for at least 20 minutes. The heat will kill them and their eggs. DO NOT PURCHASE CLOTHES AND HANG THEM IN THE CLOSET FIRST. It does not matter what the price range is of the clothing, or if the outfit comes from the most expensive store known in the U.S. They still get shipments from these countries and the bugs can come in a box of scarves or anything else for that matter. That is the reason why so many stores, many of them clothing stores have had to shut down in NYC and other places. All you need is to bring one item into the house that has bugs or eggs and you will go to hell and back trying to get rid of them. He travels all over the country as an advisor to many of these stores, as prevention and after they have the problem.
Send this information on to those on your e-mail list so that this good prevention information gets around quickly.
Origins: This helpful heads-up about bed bug infestations began landing in the snopes.com inbox in early October 2010. While it is true the U.S. is experiencing an explosion in its bedbug population, this phenomenon is not due to the critters' suddenly arriving on clothing manufactured in countries where their presence is winked at — the bedbug problem has been on the rise in the U.S. for years, with all 50 states reporting epidemic levels as far back as 2007. The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) has seen a 71 percent increase in bedbug infestations since 2001, mainly due to international travel.
Xenophobic commentary about clothing imported from China and Indonesia notwithstanding, the email's advice about treating wearables with a lengthy session in the clothes dryer is generally valid. (The warning about new clothing appears a bit over the top, though; we've yet to happen upon credible reports of bedbugs being found in such garments.) Bedbugs will not survive a hot tumble in that appliance, provided the temperature in its interior reaches (and then doesn't go below) 113°F. (There is some dispute about the minimum temperature required to eradicate bedbugs; we've also seen it credibly listed as 120°F.) The length of time clothing needs to be treated in this fashion to fully exterminate bedbugs also varies from source to source: while 20 or 25 minutes are the figures most commonly cited as the duration necessary to kill the lurking bugs, we've also seen recommendations of as little as 5 minutes and as much as 45 minutes.
Bedbugs are the ultimate hitchhikers, quickly taking up residence in suitcases and backpacks set down in infested areas. They are almost unimaginably hardy, capable of surviving for more than a year without eating (which means a house that has sat empty for that length of time could still contain a bedbug population with the potential of driving its new homeowner mad) and able to resist extremes of temperature, from freezing to 113°'F. Despite their name, bedbugs reside everywhere in any given room, not just in its bed. While their most common hiding spots are in the cracks and crevices of mattresses and box springs, they can also hide in furniture, baseboards,
electrical outlets, or any other small space or fabric surface near humans.
The process of eradicating bedbugs that have taken up residence in one's home is a daunting process, generally involving three separate sessions of extermination, with each of those comprising a number of different methods. It's lengthy, expensive, and frustrating, and if any of the bugs are missed, the bedbugs will be back in force in short order.
The best remedy is to not bring bedbugs into your home from other sites in the first place. When staying in hotels, place your bag on a suitcase stand rather than on the floor or the bed. Bed bugs can't easily climb metal, which means your bag and its contents should be relatively safe from them provided you place your valise on a metal-legged suitcase rack. Keep the suitcase rack away from walls and any wooden furniture, thereby preventing the bugs easy access to your belongings. If your hotel room lacks this amenity, you might try leaving your bag in the bath tub. (We've heard bedbugs can't easily climb enamel.) Consider keeping everything in your suitcase during your stay (rather than unpacking its contents) and keeping your bag encased in a thick plastic bag when not in immediate use.
At home, store luggage outside the domicile (in a shed, for example) to prevent any bedbugs that got onboard despite your precautions from entering your house. Immediately wash all clothing you took on your travels, as opposed to letting them sit for a bit in the laundry basket. Be wary of acquiring used furnishings, especially beds and couches. (If you must take on such items, inspect them very carefully for signs of bedbug infestation.) Run any second-hand clothing you've acquired through the dryer as soon as you bring it into the house.
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