Mark Zuckerberg Is Target of Facebook Profile Hack
January 27, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
The Facebook profile of company founder Mark Zuckerberg was hacked on Tuesday, as unauthorized posts were made from his account. It’s another embarrassing privacy breach for the social networking site, and one that hits close to home. Last week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy saw his Facebook profile be hacked as well.
The tech news site TechCrunch first reported the hack, which involved an “odd and seemingly drunken” post on Zuckerberg’s Facebook profile:
“Let the hacking begin: If facebook needs money, instead of going to the banks, why doesn’t Facebook let its users invest in Facebook in a social way? Why not transform Facebook into a ‘social business’ the way Nobel Price winner Muhammad Yunus described it? http://bit.ly/fs6rT3 What do you think? #hackercup2011”
The slash tag refers to Facebook’s Hacker Cup competition. According to Sophos, the hack might have been password-related. As the blog points out, many celebrities have their social networking handled by a team of assistants instead of making posts themselves. This leaves them open to having their password leak outside of their team.
Read More:
www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2376676,00.asp
nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/01/26/facebooks-zuckerberg-in-fan-page-hack
techcrunch.com/2011/01/25/zuckerberg-fan-page-hack
Twitter Blocked in Egypt in Response to Anti-Government Demonstrators
The Los Angeles Times reports that Twitter was blocked in Egypt on Tuesday as thousands of government protestors clashed with police. According to the article, Twitter confirmed in a message from its PR account that its micro-blogging site was unavailable to members in Egypt.
Inspired by the uprising in Tunisia, protestors in Egypt rallied together on Tuesday to demand the end of President Hosni Mubarak’s reign. In response to the protestors, riot police blasted the demonstrators with water cannons, clouds of tear gas and tried to clear the area with batons.
Although demonstrators were able to utilize Twitter in Egypt through third-party applications on computers and cell phones, eventually even those were shut down, according to TechCrunch. A recent update on TechCrunch reports that the only way to Tweet in Egypt is by using Web proxies.
Both Twitter and Facebook were used to organize the event. The Facebook group We Are All Khaled said that the police are also firing rubber bullets. The same group is organizing another protest in San Francisco at 5:00 p.m. on January 26.
Read more:
techcrunch.com/2011/01/25/twitter-blocked-egypt
Pope Benedict XVI Blesses Social Networking Sites
January 25, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Social networking sites such as Facebook have received a seal of approval from The Catholic Church – but with some caveats. Pope Benedict XVI has issued a proclamation called “Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age,” which praises the ability that social networks bring for people to create bonds with people all over the world.
“I would like then to invite Christians, confidently and with an informed and responsible creativity, to join the network of relationships which the digital era has made possible,” Pope Benedict XVI wrote in the proclamation.
However, the proclamation also cautioned against replacing real human contact with connections made online. Specifically, Pope Benedict XVI urged young people to be “authentic and faithful, and not give in to the illusion of constructing an artificial public profile for oneself” when using social networking sites, and that a person’s worth is not driven by the “popularity” of their online presence.
- Richard Manfredi
Read More:
newsfeed.time.com/2011/01/24/faithful-facebook-pope-benedict-blesses-social-networking
www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2376170,00.asp
Climb Up the Corporate Ladder with LinkedIn’s Company Insider
January 21, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
The six degrees of separation theory can now be tested to help you land the job of your dreams. LinkedIn and CNNMoney have launched a new widget that will allow users to view their LinkedIn network alongside FORTUNE’s annual list of “100 Best Companies to Work For.” According to LinkedIn, CNNMoney is the first site to integrate LinkedIn’s Company Insider widget.
The new feature will allow users to view the people in their LinkedIn network who are employed by FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies. The new widget will also provide a list of new hires and job changes at each of these companies. Companies that are part of the coveted list can identify themselves by displaying a Best Companies badge on their LinkedIn page.
Read more:
blog.linkedin.com/2011/01/20/cnn-linkedin-company-insider/
Huntington Beach City Council Nixes Facebook Drunk Driving Mug Shot Plan
January 20, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
A city in Southern California has nixed a plan to place the mug shots of convicted drunk drivers on the town’s Facebook page. On January 19, city council members in Huntington Beach voted against a plan by council member Devin Dwyer to use the power of social media to deter and discourage people from drinking and driving. Council members were concerned about the ethics of posting photos of drunk drivers on Facebook, while others doubted its effectiveness.
“Putting their picture on Facebook will not stop them from drinking but what it will do is humiliate their parents and terribly embarrass their children,” said council member Connie Boardman. “Being a child of an alcoholic in private is hell as it is; I don’t want the city making it any worse for them.”
Despite the fact that the proposal was shot down, Dwyer was still insistent that it was a good way to deal with “habitual” drunk drivers.
“I thought it was a great idea,” he said. “It gave police another tool in their toolbox to alleviate drunk driving.”
- Richard Manfredi
Read More:
www.ocregister.com/news/drunken-284713-city-drivers.html
latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/01/huntington-beach-facebook-dui-drunken-driver.html
Twitter Now Tweets in Korean
January 19, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Twitter announced yesterday that its micro-blogging service is now available in Korean.
South Korea is one of the fastest growing countries for Twitter with ten times as many Twitter users today than there was one year ago, according to the English translation of the company blog post released by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Along with other updates, Twitter announced that it has also updated Korean versions of Twitter for Android and Twitter for iPhone.
“With this launch, Twitter is now available in seven languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Korean. With 70 percent of Twitter accounts belonging to users outside the U.S., it’s important for us to make Twitter available in as many languages as possible, and we hope to support even more by the end of this year,”
Users can change their language to Korean via the Settings page.
Read more:
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2011/01/19/twitter-launches-in-korean
Facebook Changes Course on Giving Cell Phone Numbers, Addresses to Developers
January 18, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Facebook has reversed course on a capability it gave to developers several days ago to have their apps capture the cell phone numbers and street addresses of users. The original change was instituted last Friday and allowed to ask users to share additional information when installing a Facebook app. In a blog posting on Monday, Facebook Director of Developer Relations Douglas Purdy said that Facebook had recognized that privacy advocates had raised valid concerns, leading the company to reverse its policy.
“Over the weekend, we got some useful feedback that we could make people more clearly aware of when they are granting access to this data,” Purdy wrote. “We agree, and we are making changes to help ensure you only share this information when you intend to do so. We’ll be working to launch these updates as soon as possible, and will be temporarily disabling this feature until those changes are ready. We look forward to re-enabling this improved feature in the next few weeks.”
Read More:
developers.facebook.com/blog/post/447
news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-20028746-83.html
Twitter Community Sends Get Well Wishes to Apple CEO
January 18, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Moments after Apple announced on Monday that co-founder and chief executive Steven P. Jobs is taking a medical leave of absence, the Twitter community responded with a slew of get well soon messages. According to Web Pro News, Twitter users have been sending messages via the hashtag #getwellsteve.
In an email to Apple employees released on Monday, Jobs writes “At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.”
Jobs has asked Tim Cook to take over Apple’s day-to-day duties.
“I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.”
Read more:
www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/01/17advisory.html
www.webpronews.com/topnews/2011/01/17/twitterers-launch-hashtag-wishing-steve-jobs-well
Attacker Hacks into Selena Gomez’s Social Media Accounts
January 17, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
If you’ve ever had your social media accounts hacked, take some comfort that you are not alone. Disney star Selena Gomez had her Facebook and Twitter pages hacked on Wednesday, with the attacker posting a string of negative comments about fellow teen sensation Justin Beiber.
“Oh yeh, JUSTIN BIEBER SUCKS!!!!!!” read one tweet posted on Gomez’s hacked account. Later in the day, a hacker who goes by the screen name Pkinj0r-aka-Prokill posted a video on YouTube claiming responsibility for the attack.
Popeater.com reports that the attack lasted around 30 minutes before Gomez and her team were able to regain control of the sites. She apologized on both Facebook and Twitter, posting on Facebook:
“Sorry everyone. My Facebook Page and Twitter account has been hacked and we are cleaning it up.”
The 18-year-old Gomez has been romantically linked to the 16-year-old Beiber, which drove many of Beiber’s young female fans to despair. Some even sent death threats to Gomez via Twitter.
Read More:
www.popeater.com/2011/01/12/selena-gomez-twitter-hack-justin-bieber
www.eonline.com/uberblog/ask_the_answer_bitch/b218860_could_justin_bieber_fans_face_jail.html
Possible New Headquarters for Twitter
January 13, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
The San Francisco Business Times reports that Twitter might be saying goodbye to its San Francisco home base and migrating to a new location in Brisbane, California.
Currently occupied by Walmart.com, a 200,000-square foot facility could be the new headquarters for Twitter, the Business Times said. According to the publication, Wallmart.com plans to move its online operations to San Bruno later this year, leaving the large complex vacant for Twitter and its 300 employees.
However, the possible move has not been confirmed by Twitter.
