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Security firm BitDefender suggests that one in five users using its 'safego' product have been exposed to malicious threats through Facebook. The report reinforces the position held by many industry experts that Facebook needs to do more to protect ... its users from privacy or security threats. Safego is a BitDefender security product specially designed for frequent social networking users. It is built to detect malware and prevent users from getting spammed because they use these sites. (Source: bitdefender.com ) Safego is in its beta stages, and BitDefender is thoroughly analyzing the tool ... (view more)

Google plans to bar other companies from accessing information in its Gmail service, even with user permission. There's suspicion the scheme is designed to increase competition between Google and social media services such as Facebook. Facebook is ... actually one the best examples of how the change will apply in action. At the moment, when a new user signs up to the site, Facebook asks if they want to import their contacts list from their email account. If they do so, Facebook then cross-references this list, finds anyone who is already on Facebook, and asks if the user wants to add them as an ... (view more)

Facebook says it has discovered that some application ("app") developers have been deliberately selling user information for the intention of third-party marketing, and has responded by banning a list of developers from the site for six months. A ... similar breach was reported in a Facebook investigation last month . In that case, a technical error in the way developers used the information provided by Facebook meant they were revealing the user IDs of members who used the relevant applications, such as games. It's important to note this is simply Facebook's own reference number for ... (view more)

Like Facebook before it, MySpace has been accused of privacy violations by sharing user details with third-party advertisers. The new story, published in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), came after claims the newspaper had kept the article under wraps ... for business reasons. The claims about MySpace are similar to those involving Facebook. For example, last week it was reported that the companies behind games and other add-on applications on the site were sharing user data with advertisers, a breach of Facebook rules. Facebook itself believes this was done inadvertently through a technical ... (view more)

Facebook has confirmed that user details have been revealed to advertisers inappropriately. Unlike many previous privacy disputes on the site, this appears to be a genuine error. The issue involves applications, the add-on games and tools that run ... on the site but are controlled by third-party companies. The most popular examples include games such as FarmVille and Mafia Wars. Generally, when users install such an application, they grant specific permissions for the app's creators to access their accounts in some fashion; for example to automatically post on the user's page when they achieve a ... (view more)

The mayor of New York City has advised teachers to have no contact with pupils on social networking sites such as Facebook. It follows reports that at least three teachers have been fired or suspended over inappropriate comments made online. The ... three teachers, all based in the city, had been accused of posting comments on pupils' profile pages that were clearly unsuitable. Another teacher had reportedly offered extra credits to students that added him as a friend on Facebook: that teacher wasn't disciplined. Although nobody has attempted to defend the behavior of those posting inappropriate ... (view more)

A former Facebook developer has donated $100,000 to help Proposition 19, a California-based initiative seeking to make marijuana legal in that state. 30-year-old Sean Parker was one of the original developers of Facebook when the social networking ... site emerged in 2004. Proposition 19 is part of California's Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act 2010; residents of the state will vote on the measure on November 2 when they head to the polls to decide on a new governor and congressman. They'll also get the chance to vote on the legalization of marijuana. (Source: telegraph.co.uk ) Parker No ... (view more)

Facebook is beefing up its security by offering a new remote logout feature that allows users to view the computers and other electronic devices connected to the social networking site with the option to disconnect any with a click. Devices can also ... be permanently disabled from accessing Facebook. Facebook's decision to introduce the feature is a reaction to recent security threats. Spammers have been using phishing tactics to convince Facebook users to enter their login and password information on fake web pages that look a lot like Facebook's entry screens. (Source: eweek.com ) Facebook ... (view more)

Microsoft has made keeping in touch with friends a one-click experience now that it has integrated Facebook features with its Outlook email program. Users can view the photos, status updates, and wall posts of fellow contacts who are also members of ... the social networking site. The move is a big one for both Facebook -- now the world's most-visited site -- and Microsoft Outlook, traditionally one of the world's most popular email programs. Microsoft is calling the new plug-in the Outlook Social Connector, and it follows similar Microsoft mash-ups involving less outstanding social networking ... (view more)

After a lengthy dispute, Facebook has agreed to include a "panic button" for children to report threatening behavior. However, critics suggest that the voluntary scheme doesn't go far enough for child safety campaigners. Demands for the button came ... from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) in the United Kingdom. The group has produced a clickable button which can be added to Internet Explorer: clicking the button takes the user straight to a page where they can report unsuitable material or inappropriate behavior CEOP estimates an average of four youngsters who click the ... (view more)