Tag: Facebook

  • Privacy scandal: Facebook CEO testifies before Congress

    Privacy scandal: Facebook CEO testifies before Congress

    Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg will testify next week before congressional committees over Cambridge Analytica misuse of users’ data to interfere in the democratic process of several countries, including Nigeria.

    US lawmakers made this known on Wednesday saying Zuckerberg will appear before a joint hearing of the US Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees on April 10 and the US House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 11.

    “This hearing will be an important opportunity to shed light on critical consumer data privacy issues and help all Americans better understand what happens to their personal information online,” the House panel’s Republican chairman, Greg Walden, and top Democrat, Frank Pallone, said in a statement.

    Facebook has come under fire in recent weeks after it was disclosed that data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica, which worked for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, and allegedly worked for Nigeria’s former president Goodluck Jonathan, gained access to the personal data of over 50 million Facebook users.

    Facebook said in March it had suspended the accounts of Cambridge Analytica and its parent company and hired forensic auditors to probe whether Cambridge Analytica still had the data.

    The technology company also said at the time it would investigate all applications that had gotten access to large amounts of data before the firm changed its platform in 2014, would further restrict developers’ data access and roll out a tool to let users more easily revoke access by applications to their data.

    Zuckerberg said in March he would testify before Congress, but turned down an invitation by British lawmakers to explain to a parliamentary committee what had happened.

    The company has faced pressure to do more, both in terms of protecting user privacy and stopping “information warfare” on its platform.

    In February, 13 Russian nationals were indicted for using Facebook and other social media sites to interfere in the US presidential election.

    On Tuesday, Facebook said it had removed hundreds of accounts and pages associated with the Russia-based Internet Research Agency that included fake activist and political posts in the 2016 US election campaign.

    American spy agencies have warned that Russia would try to interfere in the 2018 congressional elections, and there are speculations that external forces might interfere in the 2019 general elections in Nigeria, by using social media to spread propaganda.

    Shares in Facebook closed down 0.6 percent on Wednesday to $155.10. They have tumbled more than 16 percent since the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke.

     

  • How to protect your Facebook account from hackers

    Facebook as a social media platform is replete with so many fake accounts, many of which are identities of others.

    Scammers are in the business of impersonating people on Facebook, stealing people’s name and profile pic and sending friend’s request. Most times, these scammers block the real person so they are not aware their identity has been stolen.

    After reporting some Facebook profiles I know very well have been hacked, with Facebook replying the profiles follow the community guidelines, it becomes important to inform on how to avoid identity theft on Facebook.

    Identity theft is the deliberate use of someone else’s identity, usually as a method to gain a financial advantage or obtain credit and other benefits in the other person’s name, and perhaps to the other person’s disadvantage or loss.

    While Facebook is yet to make any tool available for users to identify fake profiles, here steps you can take to avoid identity theft on the social media platform.

    Face recognition settings

    It is important Facebook users turn on this feature so that the platform is sensitive enough to recognize you in photos and videos others share.

    To recognize whether you are in a photo or video, Facebook compares it with your profile picture, and photos and videos that you are tagged in. This lets Facebook know when you are in a photo or video so that the platform can alert you when your photo or video is used.

    First, you will need to open your settings. To do that on a desktop computer, click on the upside-down triangle in the top-right corner and then guide your mouse down to hover over “Settings.” Click on it.

    That will open up this page, where you will want to find the “Face recognition” icon.

    Face recognition

     

    Clicking on it will open up a new page where you can click on “Edit”, turn the feature on by clicking “Yes” and “Close”.

    Edit Face recognition settings

    Use two-factor authentication

    Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your account to prevent other people from logging in to your account.

    With two-factor authentication you log into your account using a code from your phone as well as a password.

    All you have to do is edit this feature in settings and follow the process through to get your account secured.

    Two-factor authentication

    Mind you, if anyone calls you to request you give them some code from your phone, do not oblige.

    Also, along with setting up two-factor authentication for your account, you can as well, turn on the feature to “get alerts about unrecognised logins”. This feature allows you to get an alert when anyone logs in to your account from an unrecognized device or browser. You have to option to get the notification on the Facebook app or on Messenger or through the email address attached to your account.

    You can do all these as well on the mobile app using your mobile device.

    Always save changes after following each process.

     

    Leave any further questions in the comment below and I will promptly respond.

     

  • Facebook: How to take control of your privacy

    Amidst data privacy scandal rocking the Facebook social media platform, it becomes imperative to have certain control over how third-party apps have access to your private data.

    Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting data of over 87 million Facebook users through the instrument of a personality quiz app, a third-party app integrated into Facebook of course.

    Mark Zuckerberg had since released notes of what the social media firm is doing to clean up the platform after the scandal, with Zuckerberg saying it may take Facebook years to fix problems related to private user data.

    There are certain steps Facebook users can take to change specific settings and delete apps that used Facebook login all in the name of better privacy.

    Unfortunately, the prospect of having to manually find and then change every single privacy setting for every app you have ever come across can be pretty daunting. Depending on how into Facebook you have really gotten over the years, it could take a good chunk of time.

    However, Facebook has made it easier to remove third-party apps in bulk. You do not need to download another app, just go to settings.

    Note that Facebook says it will now automatically remove apps you have not used in more than three months, and you can still delete them one-by-one if you want to take a closer look at what they are and what they do.

    But if you want to remove them in bulk, here is how:

    First, you will need to open your settings. To do that on a desktop computer, click on the upside-down triangle in the top-right corner and then guide your mouse down to hover over “Settings.” Click on it.

    That will open up this page, where you will want to find the “Apps” icon.

    SettingsArrow

    Clicking on it will open up a new page, one with a list of your apps presented with their icons. Whereas before you had to hover over each and open them individually to change settings or delete them, now there is an empty box next to the editing pencil.

    Scroll up and down your page to see all the apps that are affiliated with your Facebook account, and click on the boxes for the ones you want to delete. If you are not sure about deleting them entirely, click on the pencil to edit the settings. Otherwise, go with the box.

    Apps

    Once you have all the apps you want to remove checked, scroll back to the top of the screen and find the blue “Remove” button. Clicking on it will lead to this:

    AreYouSure

    You’ll notice another box to be checked, one that asks if you’d like to, along with the app itself, also delete any posts, photos or videos the apps may have published on Facebook. If you want those gone too, check the box.

    You have one final step to take before the apps will be deleted. Just click on the blue “Remove” button and voila, you did it!

    Delete

    You can do this on a mobile device, too

    That’s right, this feature is available via the Facebook app. To use it, you still need to open up your account settings:

    • Click on the three horizontal lines in the lower right corner.
    • Slide down until you see “Settings,” tap on that.
    • Find “Account Settings” and tap on it.
    • Slide down until you see “Apps” and tap on it.
    • Tap on the box at the top of the screen titled “Logged in with Facebook.”
    • Scroll through the list and tap on the empty circle for every app you want deleted.
    • Once all are clicked, locate the blue “Remove” button at the top of the screen. Press it.
    • Tap on the empty box within the grayed out box (if you want all posts, photos and video apps created gone, too).
    • When ready to finally delete, tap on the blue “Remove” box.

    While this is not exactly a revolutionary change in Facebook’s privacy system, it is an easier and quicker way to take matters into your own hands. The less time it takes to fix things we didn’t necessarily know was even a problem, the more likely we are to do it.

    As for the question of which apps to remove and which to keep, that one can only be answered by you.

    Leave any further questions in the comment below and I will promptly respond.

     

  • Alarming: Facebook privacy scandal widens

    Facebook said on Wednesday that the personal information of up to 87 million users may have been improperly shared with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

    This number is up from a previous news media estimate of more than 50 million.

    Most of the 87 million people whose data was shared with Cambridge Analytica, were in the United States, Facebook Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer wrote in a blog post.

    Cambridge Analytica worked on U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.

    Facebook said it was taking steps to restrict the personal data available to third-party app developers.

    The world’s largest-social-media company has been hammered by investors and faces anger from users, advertisers and lawmakers after a series of scandals about fake-news stories, election-meddling and privacy.

    Last month, Facebook acknowledged that personal information about millions of users wrongly ended up in the hands of Cambridge Analytica.

    Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg will testify about the matter next week before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, the panel said on Wednesday.

    Shares in Facebook were down 1.4 per cent on Wednesday to 153.90 dollars . They are down more than 16 percent since the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke.

    The previous estimate of more than 50 million Facebook users affected by the data leak came from two newspapers, the New York Times and London’s Observer, based on their investigations of Cambridge Analytica.

    Schroepfer did not provide details of how Facebook came to determine its higher estimate.

    However, he said Facebook would tell people if their information may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica.

    A representative from Cambridge Analytica could not immediately be reached for comment.

    The British-based consultancy has denied wrongdoing.

    It says it engaged a university professor “in good faith” to collect Facebook data in a manner similar to how other third-party app developers have harvested personal information.

    The scandal has kicked off investigations by Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and by some 37 U.S. state attorneys general.

     

  • Breaking: Cambridge Analytica’s graphic video used to influence Nigeria’s election emerges

    Breaking: Cambridge Analytica’s graphic video used to influence Nigeria’s election emerges

    Whistle-blower and former employee of Cambridge Analytica, Christopher Wylie, has finally released the particular graphic video used to influence Nigeria’s election in 2015.

    Wylie handed the material to MPs, and giving testimony last week, he said: “Cambridge Analytica sent AggregateIQ the video after they [CA] got banned from several online ad networks because the graphic nature of the content violated the terms of service.

    “AIQ was quite freaked out about it. It’s a very disturbing video. They told Cambridge Analytica that. They called it ‘the murder video’.”

    The whistleblower told MPs: “[The video was distributed] in Nigeria with the sole intent of intimidating voters. It included content where people were being dismembered, where people were having their throats cut and bled to death in a ditch.

    “They were being burned alive. There was incredibly anti-Islamic, threatening messages portraying Muslims as violent.”

    Cambridge Analytica was hired by an unnamed Nigerian billionaire to run a campaign in support of Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, and the video was targeted at his Muslim opponent, Muhammadu Buhari, who went on to win the election.

    There is no suggestion that Jonathan was aware of the campaign.

    Click here to read more and watch the full video. Click here to read more about the Cambridge Analytica revelations.

     

  • Plateau govt. seeks partnerships with Facebook, Google, others

    The Plateau Government says it is initiating talks with its development partners, multinationals like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and local organisations to develop Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the state.

    The Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr Dan Manjang, disclosed this on Wednesday in Jos when the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Plateau Council, paid him a courtesy visit.

    Manjang said that the desire of the government to partner with these organisations was in a bid to facilitate the development of ICT skills of its people, especially the youths, through training using these platforms.

    “We are consulting with our development partners and will soon commence talks with Facebook, Google, Microsoft and some other local organisations to ensure the skills of the Plateau people are harnessed,’’ he said.

    The commissioner said the state government was working toward organising a science and technology summit, adding that government hoped the event would herald the formulation of a viable science policy.

    “The relevant technology centres in our state presently produces mobile aids for physically challenged people and our science production centre produces laboratory equipment for secondary and tertiary institutions.

    “The works from our technology incubation centre have been presented at international forums such as a drone produced there was presented at a competition in Indonesia.

    “We emerged third at the competition; a tractor and bullet-proof vests and many more have been produced at the centre.

    “The state government wants to encourage these inventors to do more by revamping these centres and creating a more enabling environment through training and provision of equipments and infrastructure,’’ he said.

    Manjang told the correspondent chapel officials that journalism could also be synchronised to ICT, adding that reports could be presented from the fields through digitisation.

    Mr Aminu Yusuf, the Chairman, Plateau Correspondents Chapel, said the visit was to congratulate the commissioner on his new appointment and discuss on possible collaborations.

    Yusuf urged the commissioner to discharge his duties efficiently, saying he was assigned to the office because of his pragmatic disposition and pedigree.

    The commissioner was sworn into office on March 1.

     

  • It may take Facebook years to fix problems related to private user data – Zuckerberg

    It may take Facebook years to fix problems related to private user data – Zuckerberg

    It may take a few years in order for Facebook to solve the problems associated with third-parties using data from its users in unauthorised ways, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Tuesday.

    “I think we will dig through this hole, but it will take a few years.

    “I wish I could solve all these issues in three months or six months, but I just think the reality is that solving some of these questions is just going to take a longer period of time,’’ Zuckerberg told newsmen.

    Cambridge Analytica became embroiled in an international scandal after it emerged that the company had received the data of around 50 million Facebook users without their permission and through improper channels.

    The company harvested the information to develop a mechanism that would predict and influence the behaviour of voters to boost U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2016 election.

    Facebook announced recently it would shut down the Partner Categories, which allows third party data providers to offer their targeting directly on Facebook.

    It also plans to introduce new privacy tools in the coming weeks to allow users to more easily manage and access their personal data.

    In March 29, Zuckerberg apologised for the situation with the Cambridge Analytica and admitted that he should not have trusted the firm.

    He has said there were several mistakes that led to the situation, adding that most of the actions needed to prevent this from happening again were already taken years ago.

     

  • Gulder Ultimate Search Winner marries woman he met on Facebook

    In the last 10 years, there has been a quiet revolution in the way people fall in love. You don’t necessarily have to meet your spouse on a flight, in a lobby or in regular places. People now meet their lovers via social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Social media does have it perks, even in the romance department This is the story of Uche Nwanezeapu, Gulder Ultimate Search Winner Season 6.

    Uche took to his Instagram page to recount the tale of how he met his wife.

    According to him:” I was on Facebook one lovely day and then I got a message from a girl, checked her profile first, and wow she was so beautiful…I wanted to ignore but I couldn’t it was hard…and we got chatting on Facebook for about a year, we were so close….At some point, we lost contact for a few months… but we found each other again… we met and we became lovers and best friends. I’m so glad I didn’t dull myself”.

    In the same vein, his wife Lauren Agokei noted that she took the bull by the horns by sending him a message on Facebook.

    Hear her:” One day I was going through my Facebook page and then I saw this cute guy on a group that I belonged to, and then I slid into his dm, and he replied I’m sure he was wondering why a pretty girl was saying hi, but I just wanted to be friends. We got chatting and chatting and then we stopped chatting for months and one day he slid into my dm…and from then, Facebook chats and calls continued for a year, we finally met, started a relationship, and fell in love and I’m so happy I slid into his dm first lol”.

     

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg4RkjiAGUW/?taken-by=callmeuche

    I used to be unlucky with women- Mr Ibu

  • Zuckerberg’s net worth falls by N5 trillion as Facebook shares drop by 18%

    Zuckerberg’s net worth falls by N5 trillion as Facebook shares drop by 18%

    Worlds’ fifth richest person and founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, valued at $71 billion (roughly N25 trillion) has reportedly lost about $14 billion (roughly N5 trillion) of his net worth.

    This is as a result of 18% fall in Facebook market shares especially after Zuckerberg agreed to testify before Congress on the recent crisis rocking the social media platform, arising from Cambridge Analytica.

    Facebook shares fell by 5% on Tuesday only after the Facebook founder made the confirmation of appearing before Congress.

    The 18% fall in Facebook’s stock has wiped out nearly $80 billion (roughly N28 trillion) from the social networking giant’s market value in the period of the still raging crisis that started March 16.

    According to reports, Tech stocks in general have taken a hit since the Facebook debacle started with Nasdaq down by 6%.

    YouTube owner Google and Twitter, have both nosedived as well. Shares of Google parent Alphabet fell by 7% since March 16 while Twitter has plunged 20%. Twitter was down by 12% alone on Tuesday.

    According to Craig Birk, executive vice president of portfolio management at investing firm Personal Capital in a note Tuesday, as quoted by CNN, said, “While the scandal is likely to blow over, investors should be aware that a continued sell-off in this sector would not be surprising, and if another scandal were to hit, it just might break the tech sector’s back”.

    Meanwhile, Zuckerberg is still worth $61 billion (roughly N21 trillion), though.

     

  • British lawmakers publish evidence from Cambridge Analytica whistleblower

    A committee of British lawmakers on Thursday published written evidence provided by a whistleblower who said information about 50 million Facebook users ended up in the hands of political consultancy — Cambridge Analytica.

    Christopher Wylie, who worked for Cambridge Analytica, alleged that the data was used to build profiles on American voters and generate support for Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election.

    He also claimed that Canadian firm — AggregateIQ (AIQ) — was involved in the development of the software used to target voters.

    Wylie appeared before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the British parliament on Tuesday.

    The committee said Wylie provided it with documents, including services agreement between AIQ and SCL Elections, Cambridge Analytica’s parent company, dated September 2014.

    AIQ did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment after Tuesday’s committee hearing, but in an earlier statement said it had never entered into a contract with Cambridge Analytica and had never been part of the firm.

    Cambridge Analytica said it did not share any Facebook profile data with AggregateIQ and did not use it in the campaign to elect Donald Trump.

    It added that it had no any data as it had deleted it.