Facebook Users - Warning!

[Guest fountainhall]

If you are one of the zillions who use Facebook – beware! Frank Abagnale, the con man made famous by Steven Spielberg’s movie “Catch Me If You Can”, has warned that if you put your date of birth and where you were born on your Facebook page  –

“I’m 98% (of the way) to stealing your identity.”

 

He also advises Facebook users never to place a passport type photo as a profile picture on their page, and instead to use group photos.

“A readily available programme, which Abagnale said is owned by Google, uses facial recognition that can match an individual with their personal information on the social networking website "in just seven seconds".

 

"What [people] say on a Facebook page stays with them," he said. "Every time you say you 'like' or 'don't like' you are telling someone [things like] your sexual orientation, ethnic background, voting record."

 

Abagnale said that while it was common to see companies such as Facebook being criticised for privacy issues in the media, it is up to people to take action to keep their data private.

 

"Your privacy is the only thing you have left," he said. "Don't blame all the other companies – Google, Facebook – you control it. You have to keep control of your own information."

 

Is Abagnale a Facebook user? No! His three sons are, but he has taught them how to use it safely and carefully.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/mar/20/facebook-risks-identity-theft-frank-abagnale

[firecat69]

I knew there was a good reason why I hate Facebook.  I should have shorted the stock when it came out , I would have paid for a lot of vacations in Thailand.

[Guest Jovianmoon]

I may be only just pushing 40, but I don't hold with all of these new fangled social networking thingies like MyFace and SpaceBook.

 

As my dear departed grandmother used to say, if you want to contact me, send me a good old-fashioned email.

[Guest scottishguy]

Am I alone in thinking that the very last thing some people ought to be showing is their face!

 

Tee Hee

 

[NIrishGuy]

I doubt many posters on ANY Thailand board will need to worry to much as no matter who it is everyone seems to be just entering their forties - and have been for the last 20 years or so :-)

[Guest]

I'm not a member of Facebook and don't intend to join.

 

However, something is badly wrong when some businesses have their only web presence as a Facebook page. 

I have the choice between joining up to Facebook or taking my business elsewhere.  So far, it's always been the latter.

 

These enormously powerful internet corporations are very much a mixed blessing.

[ChristianPFC]

It's very simple. Just keep in mind that everything you post on facebook (and on the gay Thailand forum, in fact anywhere on the internet) will be visible by everyone for eternity.