Many employers are now seeking access to employees’ Facebook accounts before making a hiring decision. Both privacy advocates and U.S. legislators have fought this invasive new protocol. However, the movement for strengthening job-seekers’ Facebook privacy rights has taken a small step back in New Jersey as Governor Chris Christie announced that a proposed privacy bill…

What originally began as Trusted Friends has been redesigned, improved and released again as Trusted Contacts. This is an account recovery feature that gives you way to reclaim your account should you ever forget your password or lose your account to a Facebook hacker. Facebook defines Trusted Contacts as “close friends that you can call…

A government task force is preparing legislation that would fine tech companies like Facebook and Google if they did not allow authorities access for wiretapping purposes, according to a recent report in The Washington Post. In an age where online communications are becoming the norm, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) is afraid that, by…

A study done by marketing blog Marketo has found that, despite growing concerns surrounding Facebook privacy and the release of Graph Search, 13 million users have never touched their privacy settings. Graph Search, the upcoming feature that will allow users to search through posts and pictures, has raised privacy concerns among plugged-in web users. However,…

After Facebook reached a settlement with federal regulators last year regarding its privacy practices, the site submitted itself for an independent audit review of its privacy issues. Facebook did not admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement, though they did agree to undergo audits for 20 years. The results of the first audit are in,…

It’s not often that the interests of privacy advocates and high-powered Wall Street brokers cross, though this case may be the rare exception; the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is asking for access to brokers’ private Facebook posts and messages. FINRA keeps a record of all business communications done by brokers, and they’re afraid that…

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, is a wide-ranging piece of  cyber security legislation currently moving through U.S. legal channels. It passed the House of Representatives last week by a vote of 288 to 127, though one amendment that was tacked on to the legislation at the last minute was shot down.…

At this point in the history of social media, virtually everyone understands that what they say or do online can come back to haunt them. A shocking statistic was revealed this week by The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. They found that 81 percent of their members had used evidence from Facebook and other social…

How many times have you started typing something on Facebook but either left it alone or immediately deleted it? Most Facebook users (the smart ones, anyway) watch what they say and censor themselves before posting. According to a research project done by two PhD students at Carnegie Mellon, 71 percent of Facebook users think twice…

Facebook comes under frequent fire for its user privacy policies, though the site has taken big steps to remedy their image since becoming a publicly traded stock. Their latest campaign to improve user privacy is a consumer education program with the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). The program will focus on educating teen users…