Saturday, January 15, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Secrets of a Former Credit Card Thief
Secrets of a Former Credit Card Thief
by Michelle Crouch
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
We've all heard the standard tips about preventing identity theft and credit card fraud. But what would a real identity thief tell you if he had the chance? Dan DeFelippi, who was convicted of credit card fraud and ID theft in 2004, says simply this: You can't be too careful.
DeFelippi, 29, mostly made fake credit cards with real credit card information he bought online. "I would make fake IDs to go with them, and then I'd buy laptops or other expensive items in the store and sell them on eBay," he says. DeFelippi was also involved in several other kinds of scams, including phishing schemes that exploited AOL and PayPal customers. Committing credit card fraud is still "ridiculously easy to do," he says. "Anyone with a computer and $100 could start making money tomorrow."
After his conviction, DeFelippi faced eight years in prison, but under a plea deal he agreed to community service and to pay back more than $200,000 in restitution. He also worked for the U.S. Secret Service, helping to infiltrate the online underground and training agents in the latest fraud techniques. His help led to the arrests of five to 15 people over two years. Today, he's a Web developer at a graphic design company in Rochester, N.Y. He agreed to take an hour with CreditCards.com to share his story and his top tips on how to protect yourself.
CreditCards.com: How did you get started?
Dan DeFilippi: When I was in middle school and high school, I was into what I would call innocent hacking. I wasn't trying to be malicious or make money. I was just interested to see what I could do. In college, I started selling fake IDs to make a little extra money. I was pretty active in online chat rooms where people would talk about this stuff, and I began to realize there was a whole world of credit card fraud where I could make a lot of money with very little effort. From there, it was just a huge downward spiral.
CreditCards.com: You said you bought credit card data online. Tell me about that.
DeFilippi: Every credit card has magnetic stripe on the back with data on it. There are people out there who hack into computers where that data is being stored. There are also people like waitresses and waiters with handheld skimmers who steal the data that way. Then they sell the data online. I'd pay $10 to $50 for the information from one card. Then I'd use an encoder to put that data on a fake card, go into a store and purchase stuff.
CreditCards.com: Do identity thieves like some credit cards better than others?
DeFilippi: Well, a lot of American Express cards have no set limit, so you'd be able to buy a lot more. However, the downside is that a lot of merchants require more security for American Express than for other cards. They may ask you to enter the four-digit code on the front of the card or your ZIP code. That information usually isn't in the magnetic stripe information. So if a card is skimmed, if someone has its magnetic stripe information, they would still need the number on the front or your ZIP code to commit fraud.
CreditCards.com: What about debit cards?
DeFilippi: I always recommend against them. With debit cards, it's your real money in your bank account you're playing with. So if someone gets your debit card information and uses it, your cash is gone until you fill out a lot of paperwork and persuade the bank to give it back to you. Credit cards are much better at protecting you against fraud. And if you're worried about debt, you can always pay them off every month.
CreditCards.com: What's your No. 1 tip on how consumers can protect themselves?
DeFilippi: You've probably heard this before, but the most important thing really is to watch your accounts. And I don't mean just checking your statement once a month. If you're only checking your statement once a month, someone can start using your card at the beginning of the billing cycle, and they can do a lot of damage before you catch it. You're talking thousands of dollars, and it will be a lot harder to catch them and dispute it. I use Mint.com, which is a free aggregation service that allows you to put all your accounts on there and monitor everything at once. I check that every day. It's also a good idea to check your credit report at least twice a year to make sure no one has stolen your identity.
CreditCards.com: Is online shopping safe?
DeFilippi: You've got to be careful. It is really easy to create a fake online store or to create a store that sells stuff, but its real purpose is to collect credit card information. I'd try to stick to reputable sites or at least to sites that have reviews. A lot of times they'll create these stores that sell things that are widely searched for at prices that are incredibly low. If a deal is way too good to be true, it's probably a scam and they just want your information. The more information a website asks for, the more you need to be certain that this is information they really need and it's a legitimate site. Also, don't buy anything from somebody e-mailing you, no matter how good the offer sounds. If a company is sending you an ad through e-mail and you've never heard of the company, don't buy anything from them.
CreditCards.com: How did your phishing scams work?
DeFilippi: People are much savvier now. Back when I started, it wasn't that common. I was getting thousands and thousands of responses from single mailings. The first one I did, I targeted AOL users, because I thought they would be less computer literate and more likely to fall for my scams. We said, "Your credit card information has expired. Come to this site and update your information or your account will be closed." I did something similar with PayPal. I sent an e-mail that said, "Someone has accessed your account. We've locked your account. Please click here to access your account." We'd link them to a fake website and they'd give us their PayPal log-in information. Then we'd say, "For security purposes we've removed your account information. Please re-enter it."
CreditCards.com: Where did you get the e-mail addresses for your phishing schemes?
DeFilippi: There's software that allows you to harvest them from anyone who has posted their e-mail addresses online, so don't ever put your e-mail address on a website. If I was targeting a specific group, I'd try to find e-mails for that group. For the PayPal scam, I was trying to find people around my age or younger, so I targeted college and universities. I looked for ones in Massachusetts because I could make fake IDs from Massachusetts. As part of the scam, I'd get their date of birth, address, Social Security number and driver's license number. Then I could make a fake ID that had all accurate information on it. The only thing that wouldn't be real would be my picture. It's kind of scary how much information I could get.
CreditCards.com: What other mistakes do consumers make on the Web?
DeFilippi: When you're using your computer online, it's sending data back and forth between your computer and website. If someone gains access to that connection -- it's called sniffing -- they can capture the data between you and the website you're communicating with. That's the reason it's so important to access secure websites if you're putting in any sensitive data, so look for "https" in the Web address. A more recent issue is the free wireless offered all over the place. If you're using an open Wi-Fi connection, you should pretty much have the expectation that there is no security.
CreditCards.com: What steps do you take to protect your own data online?
DeFilippi: All financial services companies have two-factor authentication. So you typically have to put in a password plus something else. A lot of banks use questions, but that can actually give you a false sense of security because you can find out a lot of information about people online. So maybe this is extreme, but for those questions, I make up stuff. I don't put in my real information. For example, a common question is: "What city were you married in?" Well, I'm not married, but I'll answer that question so there's no way anyone could possibly know the answer. I try to make sure at least one of the questions has a made-up answer.
CreditCards.com: What's your advice on using ATMs?
DeFilippi: ATM skimming is the big thing right now because it's cash, and cash is king. Basically, that's where someone puts a card reader on the ATM machine, captures your PIN, then goes and drains your bank account. The skimmer device goes over the card slot, and it's designed to look like part of the ATM. Some of the equipment now is very good and it's hard to tell the difference between that and a real machine. So what you need to do is try to use the same ATM every time, and watch out for anything on the machine that looks out of the ordinary, especially something stuck on the front where you put your card in. Generally, I like to use ATM machines at banks rather than convenience stores or a bar or club. There have been incidents where thieves installed their own ATM machines in places with skimmers inside them. That's much less likely to happen at a bank.
CreditCards.com: Is there more the banking industry could do to protect us?
DeFilippi: The biggest thing they could do is get away from using magnetic stripes. They aren't that secure and anyone can get a magnetic stripe reader (a skimmer) for $5 to $10. The smart chips that are widely used in Europe and internationally are much more secure and harder to hack. They offer near 100 percent protection against fraud, at least from a skimming point of view, and they also require a PIN. But the credit card companies have done the math. They think people will use their credit cards less often if they had to put in a PIN. It might eliminate a lot of the fraud, but there would be less card use and they would end up losing money. So they're actually doing just the opposite, moving to a system where you can just have your credit card in your pocket -- you don't even have to swipe it to use it. The problem is, that's very unsecure. Anyone with equipment can sit out in their car and pick that up.
CreditCards.com: How did you end up getting caught?
DeFilippi: I went to Best Buy with a guy I was working with locally to buy a laptop, and the manager there was pretty well trained. When he swiped the card, he asked for my friend's ID. Most stores don't ask for ID. My friend gave him his fake driver's license, but then when the manager swiped the credit card, it came up "Call for authorization." A call for authorization, if you're trying to commit credit card fraud, is really bad; it means the credit card company has seen suspicious activity. The manager said he needed to go to the front desk to finish processing the order. As soon as he left, we walked as quickly as possible to the exit and left the store. The problem was, my friend had given the manager his fake ID with his picture. They ran it on the news and caught him. He told them the whole story, so they ended up catching me, too. I really was better off getting caught when I did. I was lucky I didn't go to prison. Under the guidelines now, I'd probably have to serve at least two years. So anything I can do to help people now, to help compensate for what I've done, I'm trying to do.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
swissmiss | Aphrodite USB Hub
swissmiss | Aphrodite USB Hub This is so cool and multi-functional. Art and Tech. 2 wonderful things.
77 Surprising Expiration Dates
77 Surprising Expiration Dates
A handy keep-or-toss guide to 77 foods, beauty products, and household goods.
KeateCertain items in your house practically scream “toss me” when their prime has passed. That mysterious extra white layer on the Cheddar? A sure sign it needs to be put out of its misery. Chunky milk? Down the drain it goes.
But what about that jar of olives or Maraschino cherries that has resided in your refrigerator since before the birth of your kindergartner? Or the innumerable nonedibles lurking deep within your cabinets and closets: stockpiled shampoo and toothpaste, seldom-used silver polish? How do you know when their primes have passed?
With help from experts and product manufacturers, Real Simple has compiled a guide to expiration dates. These dates are offered as a rough guideline. The shelf lives of most products depend upon how you treat them. Edibles, unless otherwise indicated, should be stored in a cool, dry place. (With any food, of course, use common sense.) Household cleaners also do best in a dry place with a stable temperature. After the dates shown, beauty and cleaning products are probably still safe but may be less effective.
77 Surprising Expiration Dates
A handy keep-or-toss guide to 77 foods, beauty products, and household goods.
Keate
Certain items in your house practically scream “toss me” when their prime has passed. That mysterious extra white layer on the Cheddar? A sure sign it needs to be put out of its misery. Chunky milk? Down the drain it goes.
But what about that jar of olives or Maraschino cherries that has resided in your refrigerator since before the birth of your kindergartner? Or the innumerable nonedibles lurking deep within your cabinets and closets: stockpiled shampoo and toothpaste, seldom-used silver polish? How do you know when their primes have passed?
With help from experts and product manufacturers, Real Simple has compiled a guide to expiration dates. These dates are offered as a rough guideline. The shelf lives of most products depend upon how you treat them. Edibles, unless otherwise indicated, should be stored in a cool, dry place. (With any food, of course, use common sense.) Household cleaners also do best in a dry place with a stable temperature. After the dates shown, beauty and cleaning products are probably still safe but may be less effective.
Food
Beer
Unopened: 4 months.
Brown sugar
Indefinite shelf life, stored in a moistureproof container in a cool, dry place.
Chocolate (Hershey bar)
1 year from production date
Coffee, canned ground
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 1 month refrigerated
Coffee, gourmet
Beans: 3 weeks in paper bag, longer in vacuum-seal bag (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Ground: 1 week in sealed container
Coffee, instant
Unopened: Up to 2 years
Opened: Up to 1 month
Diet soda (and soft drinks in plastic bottles)
Unopened: 3 months from “best by” date.
Opened: Doesn't spoil, but taste is affected.
Dried pasta
12 months
Frozen dinners
Unopened: 12 to 18 months
Frozen vegetables
Unopened: 18 to 24 months
Opened: 1 month
Honey
Indefinite shelf life
Juice, bottled (apple or cranberry)
Unopened: 8 months from production date
Opened: 7 to 10 days
Ketchup
Unopened: 1 year (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Opened or used: 4 to 6 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Maple syrup, real or imitation
1 year
Maraschino cherries
Unopened: 3 to 4 years
Opened: 2 weeks at room temperature; 6 months refrigerated
Marshmallows
Unopened: 40 weeks
Opened: 3 months
Mayonnaise
Unopened: Indefinitely
Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchase by” date (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Mustard
2 years (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Olives, jarred (green with pimento)
Unopened: 3 years
Opened: 3 months
Olive oil
2 years from manufacture date (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Peanuts
Unopened: 1 to 2 years unless frozen or refrigerated
Opened: 1 to 2 weeks in airtight container
Peanut butter, natural
9 months
Peanut butter, processed (Jif)
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months
Pickles
Unopened: 18 months
Opened: No conclusive data. Discard if slippery or excessively soft.
Protein bars (PowerBars)
Unopened: 10 to 12 months. Check “best by” date on the package.
Rice, white
2 years from date on box or date of purchase
Salad dressing, bottled
Unopened: 12 months after “best by” date
Opened: 9 months refrigerated
Soda, regular
Unopened: In cans or glass bottles, 9 months from “best by” date
Opened: Doesn’t spoil, but taste is affected
Steak sauce
33 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Tabasco
5 years, stored in a cool, dry place
Tea bags (Lipton)
Use within 2 years of opening the package
Tuna, canned
Unopened: 1 year from purchase date
Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can
Soy sauce, bottled
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 3 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Vinegar
42 months
Wine (red, white)
Unopened: 3 years from vintage date; 20 to 100 years for fine wines
Opened: 1 week refrigerated and corked
Worcestershire sauce
Unopened: 5 to 10 years (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Opened: 2 years
Household Products
Air freshener, aerosol
2 years
Antifreeze, premixed
1 to 5 years
Antifreeze, concentrate
Indefinite
Batteries, alkaline
7 years
Batteries, lithium
10 years
Bleach
3 to 6 months
Dish detergent, liquid or powdered
1 year
Fire extinguisher, rechargeable
Service or replace every 6 years
Fire extinguisher, nonrechargeable
12 years
Laundry detergent, liquid or powdered
Unopened: 9 months to 1 year
Opened: 6 months
Metal polish (silver, copper, brass)
At least 3 years
Miracle Gro, liquid
Opened: 3 to 8 years
Miracle Gro, liquid, water-soluble
Indefinite
Motor oil
Unopened: 2 to 5 years
Opened: 3 months
Mr. Clean
2 years
Paint
Unopened: Up to 10 years
Opened: 2 to 5 years
Spray paint
2 to 3 years
Windex
2 years
Wood polish (Pledge)
2 years
Beauty Products
All dates are from the manufacture date, which is either displayed on the packaging or can be obtained by calling the manufacturer's customer-service number.
Bar soap
18 months to 3 years
Bath gel, body wash
3 years
Bath oil
1 year
Body bleaches and depilatories
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 6 months
Body lotion
3 years
Conditioner
2 to 3 years
Deodorant
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 1 to 2 years
For antiperspirants, see expiration date
Eye cream
Unopened: 3 years
Used: 1 year
Face lotion
With SPF, see expiration date. All others, at least 3 years
Foundation, oil-based
2 years
Foundation, water-based
3 years
Hair gel
2 to 3 years
Hair spray
2 to 3 years
Lip balm
Unopened: 5 years
Used: 1 to 5 years
Lipstick
2 years
Mascara
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 3 to 4 months
Mouthwash
Three years from manufacture date
Nail polish
1 year
Nail-polish remover
Lasts indefinitely
Perfume
1 to 2 years
Rubbing alcohol
At least 3 years
Shampoo
2 to 3 years
Shaving cream
2 years or more
Tooth-whitening strips
13 months
Wash’n Dri moist wipes
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: Good until dried out
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Dejunk a new PC the easy way
Dejunk a new PC the easy way
Q. I recently bought a new laptop that I was really excited for. But when I opened it up, there were tons of programs on it already. None of them look at all important. Most seem to be free trials of random software that I've never heard of. Is this stuff necessary? And can I get rid of it all?
-- Jesse from Quincy, IL, listens to my national radio show on WGEM 101.5 FM
-- Jesse from Quincy, IL, listens to my national radio show on WGEM 101.5 FM
A. There are a lot of names for software that comes installed on new computers. Some are less forgiving than others. We'll use the term "bloatware." Bloatware is unnecessary and often causes new computers to run slowly.
The profit margins on computers are slim. So, manufacturers install these annoying programs to increase profits. Developers pay manufactures to include their software on new computers.
This is usually why you get annoying registration and trial reminders when you boot up. The developers nag you in hopes that you'll buy the full versions of their software.
Make no mistake, however. The majority of this stuff is junk, and you need to get rid of it. Otherwise you can expect slow performance and more annoying messages.
That's because most of these programs are set to open at startup. Have you ever booted up your computer and waited 10 minutes before anything happens? Likely, bloatware is to blame. Your computer can't handle opening everything at once.
At best, these programs are wasting space on your hard drive. I'd rather fill that space with family photos or work documents.
Fortunately, you can remove bloatware from your computer. In most cases, it won't be terribly difficult. But it will take some time. You also need the right tools to remove everything.
First, remove any icons on the desktop that you don't want. Hold down the Control key and click on each icon that looks like bloatware. After you've selected them all, drag and drop them into the Recycle Bin.
Removing the desktop icons won't uninstall the software. In fact, Windows should display a message to that effect. So now it's time to uninstall these programs. Click Start>>Control Panel. Depending on your operating system, the next screen will look different.
If you have Windows 7 or Vista, double-click Programs and Features. You will see a list of all the programs you have installed. Select one you want to get rid of and click Uninstall. Follow the prompts to remove the program. You'll have to do this for each program you want to remove.
If you use XP double-click Add or Remove Programs. Select the program you want to uninstall and then click Change/Remove. Follow the prompts to remove the program. Repeat for other programs you don't want.
There are also some free programs that will wipe out a lot of bloatware for you. One is PC Decrapifier. (The name says it all!)You can download it for free here.
Using PC Decrapifier is pretty straightforward. Install the software on your machine and run it. Your antivirus software might flag it. Don't worry—it's clean. I've checked it thoroughly.
Once open, Decrapifier will ask you a couple of questions: Is your computer new? Do you want to make a restore point before you begin? Creating a restore point is a good idea.
Once that's done, Decrapifier will look for any known bloatware. It's surprisingly good at finding a lot of the junk that's installed.
The last screen lets you select other programs to uninstall. Select any programs you want to uninstall. Click Next to confirm. PC Decrapifier will remove all the programs you've selected.
Sometimes uninstalling the program isn't enough. Files attached to bloatware can be floating around on your computer, hidden from plain sight. To clean those out, I recommend CCleaner. Download it for free here.
CCleaner is a useful program to have. It removes these orphaned files. It can also work as a disk cleanup tool. It's a good idea to run it periodically to keep your machine running smoothly.
You can do one last thing to make your new machine as fast as it should be: Limit what programs open when you start the computer.
Navigate to Start>>Run in Windows XP. In the Run dialogue box, enter "msconfig" (minus quotes). Now hit Enter on your keyboard. If you're using Vista or Windows 7, click Start and type "msconfig" (minus quotes) in the Search box.
In the System Configuration box, click the Startup tab. You should now see a list of the applications that are set to open when you start your machine. Uncheck programs you don't want to launch at startup.
You can also hit "Disable all" in the bottom right to stop all of them. This isn't such a good idea. It will prevent your antivirus and spyware programs from running at startup.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Personality Testing
| Your Type is INFJ |
| Introverted | Intuitive | Feeling | Judging |
| Strength of the preferences % | |||
| 56 | 38 | 25 | 56 |
You are:
- moderately expressed introvert
- moderately expressed intuitive personality
- moderately expressed feeling personality
- moderately expressed judging personality
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Microsoft Office templates - Resumes
Microsoft Office templates
Here at the Komando International Broadcasting Studios, we're big believers in Microsoft Office. We actually figure out and use many of those features!
One of Office's best features isn't even part of the software. Of course, I'm talking about the templates. They're premade forms, located on Microsoft's Web site.
There seem to be templates for any personal or business occasion. And you don't necessarily need the latest software. A quick look will turn up templates for Office 1997. That's a 10-year-old program!
All told, there are hundreds of templates. They fall into more than 100 categories, ranging from Agendas to Wills.
Just the other day, my sister called. She needed an employment application. I found it free at Microsoft's Web site. I e-mailed it to her. I was a hero!
If the template you need is missing, suggest it. And if you have one you want to share, it will be welcome there.
Before you create any cards, brochures, databases or forms from scratch, visit this site. It'll save you a bunch of time!
Cost: Free
Link: office.microsoft.com
Saturday, January 1, 2011
5 Facebook privacy settings you need to know about now
5 Facebook privacy settings you need to know about now
Like getting coffee in the morning, Facebook has become a part of daily life. These days it seems like everyone is using it. The only real danger from coffee is that nervous, antsy feeling from drinking too much. But Facebook can pose a serious risk to your privacy.
Every time you use Facebook, you are putting information about yourself on the Web. Every post, every picture, every update gets published. You need to know how to protect your privacy.
Facebook updates its privacy settings routinely. That's good news in an ever-changing online world. But that also makes it difficult to monitor what you're keeping private. So I've boiled down the five most important privacy settings on Facebook. These will help you stay safe while having fun connecting with friends and family.
The first place you want to visit is the Privacy Settings page on Facebook. Go to Facebook and log in. Then look to the top right and click on Account>>Privacy Settings. This page is where you adjust most of your privacy settings.
Contact information
The first thing to protect is your contact information. You really don't want some creep finding out where you live.
On the Privacy Settings page, click "Customize settings." After the new page loads, scroll to the bottom. You should see an area for Contact information.
Your contact information is made up of five parts. These are your mobile phone number, another phone number, a physical address, instant messenger screen name and your e-mail. Next to each is a dropdown menu. Here you choose who can see that information.
The dropdown menu will give you several choices. Those are Everyone, Friends and Networks, Friends of Friends, Friends only, and Customize. Select Customize.
This will open a new window in the center of your screen. You'll see a section labeled Make this visible to. Next to "These people," select Only Me. On the next line it says "And this network." Make sure no networks are selected. Then click Save Setting. Do this for every piece of your contact information.
Public searches
The next setting you should secure is public searching. This will hide your information and pictures from search sites like Google.
To find the public searching options, navigate to the Privacy Settings page. In the bottom right, there is a section labeled Applications and Websites. Click Edit Settings below that. This loads a new page. The last item on this page is Public search. Click Edit Settings directly to the right of it.
Here you'll see a quick description of what public search does. Basically it allows search sites to see a preview of your profile. This lets others search for you without using Facebook. Below the description is a checkbox that says "Enable public search." Make sure that is unchecked.
While you're there, you should also click the Basic Directory Information link. These settings will affect how other Facebook users can search for you. For example, let's say you only want friends to see you. You would set each to Friends Only.
Places
Another feature of Facebook you should be aware of is Places. You can use Facebook to check in to a real-world location. This lets the world know where you are. Some people find it helpful. Others see it as just plain creepy. Of course, it could be a boon to stalkers.
It's easy enough to turn this feature off. Head back to your Privacy Settings page. Then click "Customize settings." Under "Things I Share" look for "Places I check in to." Click the dropdown menu to the right. Now select Customize. In the window that opens, use the dropdown to select Only Me. Make sure you have no networks selected below that. Click Save Setting.
Once you're back on the Privacy Settings page look for "Include me in People Here Now after I check in." Make sure the Enable check box on the right is unchecked.
You'll want to make sure your friends can't check you in to Places either. On the Privacy Settings page, look for the section labeled "Things others share." The last setting should read "Friends can check me in to Places."
Click Edit Settings on the right. A new window will open in the center of your screen. Next to "Friends can check me in to places" make sure it says Disabled. Select Okay.
Photo albums
Now let's protect your photos. Each photo album you create has its own independent privacy settings. You can also adjust these from the Privacy Settings page.
First click "Customize settings." Click "Edit album privacy" under "Things I share." Now you can adjust who can see which albums. The smartest thing to do is to set all albums to Friends Only. That way your friends can still see your photos. But the weirdoes who try to stalk your profile can't.
While you're on the Privacy Settings page, let's limit what pictures others can share. Look for "Things others can share." The first option is "Photos and videos I'm tagged in." You should change that to Friends Only.
Apps
Finally, the last setting you really want to concern yourself with is app privacy. I recently told you how Facebook apps were leaking private information. But this is important stuff. So here's a refresher on protecting yourself while using apps.
Navigate to the Privacy Settings page. Click "Edit your settings" under Applications and Websites. There are two parts you'll want to adjust.
First in "Applications you use," select Edit Settings. You'll see a list of all of the applications you use. Each one has its own settings. You can go through each app by clicking Edit Settings next to it.
Some apps will require information such as your name, profile picture and the like. There's no way to stop the app from getting required information. You can, however, remove the app. To the far right of each application is a gray X. Clicking it removes the application.
After you've adjusted these settings, click Back to Application Privacy. In the section that says "Info accessible through your friends," click Edit Settings. A new window will open in the center of your screen. Uncheck all of the options here. Then select Save Changes.
Keep in mind these settings aren't comprehensive. There's certainly more you can do to protect your privacy. Lucky for you, I've found a couple of useful tools that can help.
ReclaimPrivacy and BitDefender safego are two good options. Both give you feedback on how strong or weak your privacy settings are. BitDefender also gives you added protection against malicious Facebook links.
You can find ReclaimPrivacy here. And you can find BitDefender safego here.
Like I said, Facebook is just a part of life these days. But it's more than just a time killer. My tips will help you get more from Facebook:
- Even young kids know about Facebook. Find out the right age to start letting them use social-networking sites.
- Facebook puts a lot of information about you out on the Web. Find out exactly what your profile says about you.
- Facebook privacy is a big deal. Watch as I show you how to avoid privacy problems.
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