Open Source Utilities For Facebook Privacy 154
dward90 writes "Two online projects will scan and edit Facebook privacy settings for maximum protection: ReclaimPrivacy (reclaimprivacy.org) and SaveFace (untangle.com). The article says: 'Several new applications have launched this week that are designed to easily reset a Facebook member's privacy settings, following new changes from the company that make a sizable chunk of profile content public by default when it was once kept under lock and key.'"
Open Source Warning (Score:5, Insightful)
Copy (Score:3, Insightful)
What prevents these apps from keeping a copy of the info in their databases before changing the settings?
Are these tools in the article safe? (Score:2, Insightful)
They run javascript on the facebook page, can they be used to steal my facebook password?
Re:Is It Just Me ... (Score:2, Insightful)
Just about everything about Web 2.0 sites is a bad idea.
The privacy problems are well known.
The general stupidity of the users is well known (and often exploited by both the sites themselves and others).
The technology the sites use is often shitty (NoSQL, mainly).
Web 2.0 sites are about doing things as wrong as possible, but becoming popular thanks to the stupidity of people as a whole.
Re:Copy (Score:3, Insightful)
Considering that many of the people who need to use an app to change their privacy settings and are on facebook will not be able to understand code.
Example: so many people grant full profile access to apps just to view a video(and that app just spams the wall of their friends)
Looking forward (Score:5, Insightful)
Cue an endless series of phishing sites: "Did you know that anyone on the internet can see things you post on your Facebook page? Just type in your username and password and we'll scan your profile to see if it's secure..."
Re:Open Source Warning (Score:5, Insightful)
A Facebook page may make you unemployable.
This one thing from an otherwise good post really bugged me. You may make yourself unemployable by posting things you shouldn't in public because despite Facebook's atrocious privacy policy they can only work with data you give them.
Re:Open Source Warning (Score:5, Insightful)
they can only work with data you give them.
Not true, actually. They can also work with the information your "friends" give them.
Third Option (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Open Source Warning (Score:4, Insightful)
A Facebook page may make you unemployable.
This one thing from an otherwise good post really bugged me. You may make yourself unemployable by posting things you shouldn't in public because despite Facebook's atrocious privacy policy they can only work with data you give them.
"Damn Abstrackt, you sure had a fun time with those hookers last night. I can't believe they happened to have marijuana on them... you sure went to town on that bong! [pic attached] I'll be on IRC tomorrow... you've gotta tell me all about that Windows bug you exploited to crack into that .mil site." -- written on your wall
Re:Open Source Warning (Score:3, Insightful)
At which point it doesn't matter whether you, yourself, are on Facebook - as long as that 'friend' puts your name in an entry, you could be flagged in such an internet query. I.e. if you're laying face-down in vomit with a half-empty bottle of Absolut in your hands, it doesn't really matter whether that somebody 'tags' that photo with the 'friend' account 'dcm' or simply jots down 'lol dcm after a FUN night out!'
Re:Is it really that hard? (Score:3, Insightful)
It's not hard, just involved and convoluted. Facebook's settings are many, and some of them aren't in the obvious places. These tools make it easy to do what's time-consuming to do by hand.
Re:Is It Just Me ... (Score:3, Insightful)
Says the guy posting in a site written in Perl.
Re:Open Source Warning (Score:5, Insightful)
In fact, it's the reverse: being on Facebook is better because it alerts you when people tag you, so you can ask them to take it down/edit it; if you aren't registered you probably will never know until it bites you.
Re:Open Source Warning (Score:5, Insightful)
Gibberish. I could post a picture of two drunken idiots dancing naked in the street on my page - and tag one of them as you.
Re:I disagree. (Score:3, Insightful)
The article you linked says that 27% of orgs have a policy and that 2% of them have actually fired someone over things like this.
It seems to me having an objectionable Facebook page might be an asset. It would definitely keep you away from employers who do not understand that you're there to earn a paycheck, and then you go home. Now if you're the sort that actually wants to be micromanaged without pay, heed the advice, but for the normal among us, maybe it isn't such a big deal. Take this:
That happened to a friend of mine. She was out with friends and wasn't drinking. Someone passed her shots to pass down the table. Of course, someone was taking pictures and guess what? Yep, the picture of her with the two shots got on her friends Facebook page. She had a Facebook page too which was linked to her friends .... Oy!
Maybe you want to work for an establishment that understand that bars exist and that adults go into them. If you are seeking employment from an organization that would like to see all bars burnt to their foundation, I'd suggest you never even drive past one, let alone go inside.
At which point it doesn't matter whether you, yourself, are on Facebook - as long as that 'friend' puts your name in an entry, you could be flagged in such an internet query. I.e. if you're laying face-down in vomit with a half-empty bottle of Absolut in your hands, it doesn't really matter whether that somebody 'tags' that photo with the 'friend' account 'dcm' or simply jots down 'lol dcm after a FUN night out!'
You'd rather your boss went 'lol' along with the rest of us. Trust me. If they don't understand that adults of a certain age do certain perfectly legal things on their own time then they likewise won't understand when your kids get sick, when you want to vote your conscience, or when you land that really great promotion in another firm and want to say goodbye.