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The joys of Social Media…and your privacy!

For some people in this well-connected world, virtually everything and everyone (perhaps a small exaggeration) is in fact connected in some fashion. Without question, one of, if not the most common fashion is via Social Media platform. More specifically with Facebook in millions, maybe billions of cases.

Statista.com – Number of monthly active Facebook users worldwide as of 4th quarter 2018 (in millions)

https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/ .

Ah, you say, Facebook! Yes, the big dog in the Social Media world is FB. And with all the great things that FB has brought to us all, there have been some…not so great things. There have been issues with political influence, or the perception of it. Follow the link below:

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We’re Keeping Track of All of Facebook’s Scandals So You Don’t Have To

http://fortune.com/2018/04/06/facebook-scandals-mark-zuckerberg/

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There have been issues of system based activity spying on users, and this is more than perception. Perhaps debatable on some levels, but many users will not debate this, they are certain. There have been system breaches in which user information has been obtained by persons that you or I have not specifically authorized. In more than enough cases the breach was by hacking.

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The 21 scariest data breaches of 2018

Paige Leskin Dec. 30, 2018, 10:42 AM


https://www.businessinsider.com/data-hacks-breaches-biggest-of-2018-2018-12

Not done yet! There are also issues with customer/user data being sold or shared with parties outside of FB, that you did not knowingly choose to engage with.

Well, this element of the story could go on for a while. But I think you have heard all this before…and still use FB! And so do I. So what then?

CNET has presented you with a fix, or maybe parts of a fix. There are always more things that can be done when you are talking the world of cyber and cyber security. One can never be certain that all safeguards have been applied and vulnerabilities addressed. But you do your best.

CNET offered the following article with smart steps to follow.

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Facebook still tracks you after you deactivate account

Deactivation does nothing for your privacy.

https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-is-still-tracking-you-after-you-deactivate-your-account/

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A key element to the CNET recommendations is that “DeActivation” of your FB account does not get you free and clear from monitoring. The FB program still can and will track your activity. And if and when you return to their system, bamm…it is as if you never left.

All this said, is Facebook a bad thing, or a bad guy? No, of course not! It is up to you and I, the users, to monitor ourselves, and monitor our Social Media tools. I use FB regularly for personal and semi-business activities. Yes, I do monitor how much time I spend on the network. I monitor what activities I do, and what I share. I take postings for FB and any other source with a careful eye to my own fact checking and verification. I watch out for persons out there that try and engage you in their ideology and what can sometimes be sick viewpoints. My own posts generally avoid the nations current hot and vile topic, American politics! The only exception being when I can actually “know” the facts myself. And even then, I have no need to get involved in the hysteria that surrounds today’s angry and hateful dialogue, and I mean from either side.

So, go forth with confidence, but trust and verify as some notable politician said in so many similar words.