Off the Shelf

1. Introduction
2. Foursquare
3. Facebook updated 5/6/2010
4. Twitter – coming soon.

Keeping your life private, while still enjoying the benefits of social media, is a delicate balance. You don’t want to say too much and “over share” or say too little and not get the benefits of the application. However, very few people really understand how to control their online presence. There has been lots of discussion about how to control/privatize your online presence (here, here and even here).

Security Education:
Regardless of all the information available out there in the blogosphere, I still end up educating my friends and family about privacy whenever the subject comes up. Remember, people like us read those blogs not people like them. They are sometimes blissfully unaware of the volume of information available online about them, how easy it is to get at it, and the consequences. Haven’t you ever Googled yourself? That’s what EVERYONE sees and with a little digging they can compile a complete picture about you, where you work, live etc. However, don’t get paranoid, just keep reading…

Desire to join the pack:
Despite some of the security we sacrifice many of us enjoy participating in these online communities. There are those of us that know too much and those of us that know too little about online security. I became more acutely aware of this divide when I posted to a Defcon forum about developing some foursquare “badges” to tie into the con. At first, the reception was not so great to the idea of the con having integration with Foursquare, even though I knew many tech/hack folks who feverishly used foursquare. Thankfully, one poster came to my rescue and summed it up best,

“If you’re going to take a position against location awareness (Foursquare or otherwise) simply on the basis of trying to keep your whereabouts hidden from “the man” or “bad guys”, well, you better also turn off your cellphone, stop posting to Internet forums about what you’re up to, stop spending money, stop leaving the house, and essentially stop participating in society…you’re just hopping on the ‘me too’ train to Poorly-Informed station in Paranoidtown”.

This poster is essentially my hero, he addressed the concerns articulately and with humor, I only wish I could have said it as well myself.

Security know-how for the masses:
The problem is the Defcon bunch knows the consequences and would be knowledgeable enough to lock-down their online information (or not participate at all in social media), but there is the other “blissfully unaware” group that needs to know. So that leaves us with the need/want to participate in these online universes, yet stay safe and private. So here is a run-down of how I setup some of my social media apps (Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter) and the logic behind my settings. I feel it provides me with the best of both worlds, sharing just enough and yet taking into account everything I’ve ever learned at Defcon and HOPE (thanks guys). If you’ve got one I haven’t covered here, I’m happy to help you out. Note: I’ve ended up dividing them into a series as the Facebook privacy settings alone require more explanation.

Keep Reading: Foursquare and privacy>>>

Tags:   aware · facebook · foursquare · location · media · privacy · security · sharing · socialNo Comments