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Facebook's New Security Measures Protect Us From Anyone Not Named 'Facebook'

by Amar Toor on May 14, 2010 at 10:05 AM

Facebook security measures
In the past few weeks, spammers and hackers have feasted on Facebook like King Curtis on bacon. Now, however, it looks as if Facebook has finally decided to take some action. Yesterday, the social network announced on its blog that users will soon benefit from a host of new security features specially designed to "keep the bad guys out." From now on, you can choose to be automatically notified whenever your account has been accessed from a computer or phone that you normally don't use. To activate the feature, simply go to the Account Settings page, and click on the 'Account Security' link at the bottom of the page, where you'll be prompted to register the devices from which you normally log on to Facebook. If your account is accessed from a non-approved device, you'll be immediately notified via text or e-mail, and will have the opportunity to change your password, or flag the specific gadget in question.

In the event that someone tries to log in to your account from a suspicious location, Facebook will automatically ask the person several questions to prove his or her identity. Unlike most security questions, which are often designed to distinguish humans from robots, Facebook's questions are decidedly more personal, sometimes requiring a suspicious user to identify a friend tagged in a photo, for example. If it's really you, you'll gain access after answering, and then have the chance to review recent log-ins on your account -- including the exact locations from which your account was accessed. If you see something bizarre, you'll once again have the opportunity to immediately change your password.

As Facebook points out, you probably won't have to jump through these hoops each time you log on -- only when the site's security system smells something fishy. While these new measures still won't do much to abate lingering user concern over Facebook's invasive Instant Personalization service, it's reassuring to see that the social network has acknowledged that it has a security problem and is taking measurable action to remedy it. It should be noted, however, that the site has chosen to make its security features 'opt-in,' while making most of its personalization services 'opt-out.' So, assuming the new features actually work, it would mean that the only person we'd have to worry about compromising our privacy is... Facebook.
[From: Facebook; via: ReadWriteWeb]

Tags: facebook, facebook privacy, facebook security, FacebookPrivacy, FacebookSecurity, hacker, hackers, instant personalization, InstantPersonalization, malware, privacy, security, socialnetworking, spammers, top, web

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