...to have and to hold  

My parents on their wedding day in 1948.

Simply being a user of Facebook and other social media networks can make consumers attractive targets for scammers. Take this recent con, for instance, in which people are fraudulently persuaded to donate to the care of a critically injured infant (photos of which were stolen from a family who lost their child nearly two years ago). Here is another in which unsuspecting Facebook users pay taxes on phony financial windfalls. In this particular case, the victim of the scam became an unwitting part of the criminal activity, and now faces up to 10 years in jail.

Be careful not to fall for the lure of promises on Facebook. Not only may you fall victim to identity fraud and theft, you may also expose your friends in the process. As in the case above, you may even become a criminal yourself.

Perhaps more troubling is the amount of information social networkers are voluntarily, but unwittingly, revealing about themselves. Take the Vox article, "7 things you told Facebook without even realizing it," for instance. In it, the writer talks about a scary new app that will guess your location, income and passwords based on data you've shared via Facebook and other social networks.

What you put out there online, on apps, anywhere shared with others, will basically remain in one or more places forever. No matter how many times you hear it, it bears repeating. That's because developers behind apps like Snapchat are working around the clock to convince consumers that the opposite can be true.

The premise of SnapChat is that users can share "disappearing pictures." But as many of us have learned, disappearing pictures is not exactly the completepicture. Just watch the cat-like reflexes of any proud grandparent attempting to screen-capture a "disappearing" image of their grandchild, and you'll understand.

The writer of this Federal Trade Commission (FTC) article puts it best when she asserts, "Snapchat's popularity suggests that people love the spontaneity of sending a snap without worrying too much about how it might affect their online reputation. But the app might have lured users into a false sense of security."

Snapchat recently settled with the FTC after it made charges that the company's privacy policies weren't as stated.  In addition, Snapchat recently admitted to collecting and transmitting user data, which makes its recent security breach all the more perilous.

The escapades of this fledgling app developer is just more evidence that so-called temporary digital content is more fairy tale than reality.   

Have you ever wondered what becomes of your online accounts after you die? The Washington Post recently looked into the question, and reports that "The immortality of one's digital accounts is one of the more morbid philosophical wrinkles of modern life." Here are a few of the take-aways from the article:

Family who want to access these accounts often can't.

Digital asset laws vary greatly by state.

The spookiest take-away: Artificial intelligence-like technology may someday Tweet in a user's voice after he or she dies. 

Privacy Professor Point of View

I've become an early riser thanks to my reoccurring stint on the KCWI 23 GreatDay morning show and I'm very grateful to the show for this fabulous opportunity to raise privacy and security awareness! I recently returned to talk with viewers about eBay's breach. You can view the entire segment here on YouTube.

Nothing gets me quite as riled up as companies and organizations that irresponsibly gather and share personal information in the name of marketing. One such incident inspired me to write this blog post, and I'd love to have you weigh by leaving a comment. I wrote a follow-up blog post to provide businesses currently doing such privacy negligent practices some instruction on how to better protect privacy.

I love traveling the country and beyond to raise awareness of data security and privacy. Following is my early summer schedule. If you're in the area, stop by to say hello!

June 16: Providing the keynote about how to engineer privacy controls into the Internet of Things at the International Information and Computer Security Conference in Bogotá, Colombia 

August 19: Providing a session called "Cybersecurity & Business Data Privacy" at the IT Service Management Leadership Forum in Scottsdale, AZ

October 16 & 17: Providing a keynote at the Australian Information Security Association's National Conference in Melbourne, Australia. 

You Have My Permission to Share

I receive a lot of requests to repurpose the information contained in these Tips messages, so I wanted to drop a quick note in here to say, "Yes, I approve!" Please use the following attribution so that others will know where to find me if they have additional questions about the material you pass along.