Reputation Management, Internet Privacy, and Social Media Quick Hits
In today’s Quick Hits we talk about Facebook’s ongoing battle against clickjacking, the possibility of Internet privacy legislation in 2011, and recent changes to New Hampshire’s anti-bullying laws.
–
New Hampshire Adds Cyberbullying to Anti-Bullying Law
Governor John Lynch of New Hampshire signed into law legislation yesterday that adds cyberbullying to the state’s preexisting anti-bullying law. The step to add cyberbullying to the 2000 bill is a sign of the times. Ten years ago, before social networks like MySpace and Facebook, teens spent less time online. In 2010, however, teens are the most likely to be bullied via some form of Internet media.
Concept Capital Report Predicts Internet Privacy Legislation for 2011
A research report from the group Concept Capital speculates that Internet privacy legislation will be on the agenda in Congress in 2011. The report also suggests that Rep. Rick Boucher’s proposed data privacy legislation, which has been criticized by privacy advocates and Internet companies, will likely pass in 2011 due to its bipartisan support.
AARP Poll Shows Internet Users Over 50 are Social Media Savvy
An American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) poll showed that social networking isn’t just for the young. According to the poll, “over a quarter (27%) of Americans over the age of 50 use social networks,” with the majority of them indicating Facebook as their social network of choice. The poll also revealed that older Internet users use social networking primarily as a way to stay in touch with family, with “62% of the respondents reporting that they’re connected to their kids on Facebook and 36% saying they are connected to their grandchildren.”
Facebook Hit by New Clickjacking Attack
Facebook has been assailed by “clickjacking” attacks over the last several months, with the most recent incident occurring yesterday. From the InformationWeek article: “Also known as likejacking, clickjacking attacks exploit the “like” button functionality that Facebook developed for third-party sites. The attack tricks a user into clicking the “like” button — oftentimes by overlaying it with a fake link — which generates a status update on the user’s Facebook page, including a link to the attack.” Facebook would do well to develop a response to these kinds of attacks quickly.
The Story Behind Facebook’s Few Quitters
The Quit Facebook Day movement may not have gone off as well as planned (only 30,000 people signed-up compared to Facebook’s 500 million total users), but the individuals who did quit the site don’t have any regrets. This article in the Montreal Gazette provides some interesting insights into the personal reasons why several Facebook users decided to quit using the popular website and how they feel their lives have changed because of their decision.
