Mozilla And Google Boosts Anti-Tracking And Security

July 31, 2019

Jason Cooley is Support Services Manager for Tech Experts.

Internet security changes all the time and so does the variety of issues. We have to be sure to run anti-virus, watch out for infections and phishing, and regularly change our passwords just to start the process of being safe on the Internet.

There are people that spend time to create these viruses and other hidden or unwanted system modifications.

While their motivation may not be known (usually money), one of the hazards of using the Internet is dealing with the headaches these things can cause.

On top of regular infections, there are many data gathering processes that can run in the background of your system.

These can be gathering data to send to someone attempting to steal your information. There are also websites that gather data when you visit, login, or create an account.

While there are instances where gathering data is used maliciously as I mentioned, it is also something legitimate sites can be guilty of. In 2019, you may have heard of sites like Google and Facebook gathering information, but what and how much are they gathering? What can you do about it?

Earlier this year, the International Computer Science Institute investigated Google and the Applications linked with its Playstore.

Applications downloaded from Google and the Playstore can gather data, and that can be used to create your Advertising ID. This ID is unique, but is and can be reset.

Many applications were also linking that Advertising ID with the hardware IDs of a device, such as the MAC address. This is forbidden as it allows the data to be permanently stored, even when you erase your history and erase the application data. Google is addressing the issue and already forcing some applications to change its data gathering process.

Google is also stepping up security for mobile devices in another way. Users that are familiar with Chrome and its password storing may know the browser version of Google can suggest a strong password.

This is now coming to mobile devices as well, which will sync security across all devices, prompting you to use a strong and unique password when it is determined your password is weak or frequently used.

Facebook may be the king of data harvesting. I am sure many of you have searched for something on the Internet, then noticed ads on Facebook showing that item. This is part of targeted advertising done by Facebook.

Facebook has the ability to follow you around the web, checking your browser habits and collecting user data anytime you are on a site with a Like or comment section from Facebook attached.

Mozilla Firefox introduced the Facebook Container extension for its browser last year, which keeps Facebook isolated.

While it has been out for awhile, 2.0 was just released, which blocks those sites with the Facebook links from gathering information.

Firefox is stepping up the anti-tracking to another level as well. The browser debuted its new “Enhanced Tracking Protection.” Mozilla teamed up with Disconnect, an open source anti-tracking program to create this new protection that blocks over 1,000 third party websites from gathering data while you browse the Internet.

This feature is enabled by default once the browser is updated to its newest version.

Some may not worry about their privacy online, but for those who do, it’s time to update.

Filed Under: Facebook, Firefox, Google Chrome, Online Privacy, Online Security Tagged With: , , , , ,

Can Employers Ask For Your Facebook Login Info?

June 22, 2012

A current case that is attempting to define privacy in the era of social media deals with the question of whether your social media account should be visible to current and prospective employers.

The next time you’re asked the typical “name your greatest weakness” interview question, remember it could be much worse: Job seekers applying to Maryland’s Department of Corrections were asked for their Facebook logins and passwords.

Savvy employers already check an applicant’s “digital footprint.” Some companies, like the Maryland Department of Corrections, have gone even further, requesting or even demanding individuals’ social media passwords to look at data not open to the public. Whether this practice is legal remains unclear.

The ACLU filed a written protest in the Maryland case, and the corrections department stopped asking for the information. They then had job candidates log into their Facebook accounts while the hiring manager looked over their shoulder at the Facebook content hidden behind privacy filters.

The officials at the Maryland Department of Corrections said that they did this to make sure job candidates didn’t have any gang affiliations.

The agency told the ACLU it had reviewed the social media accounts of 2,689 applicants and denied employment to seven because of items found on their pages.

One state is banning the practice, and at least 10 other states have bills that have been introduced. A few courts have ruled that such requests violate the federal Stored Communications Act, but the US Supreme Court has not addressed this issue. This legal uncertainty leaves many workers on shaky legal ground.

It’s always good advice to carefully manage the public information posted to your social media sites. For anyone looking to change careers, a review of your privacy settings and friends list is also good advice.

Ensure any sensitive things are limited to your friends (or even a group of just very close friends). It might make sense to have only your basic contact information available to non-friends.

Employers will undoubtedly rely more and more on Internet searches and social networking sites to screen job seekers.

Senators Charles Schumer (New York) and Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut), are planning to ask the Department of Justice to investigate whether employers demanding access to Facebook accounts are violating the law.

In the meantime, review your privacy settings, update so that only the things you want to be available can be seen by the general public.

Filed Under: Facebook, Online Privacy, Tips Tagged With: , , ,