Facebook: Popular, Yes, but Trustworthy?
As we all probably know, Facebook is a phenomenon that has taken Internet users young and old by storm. It is a popular way to network socially, find lost old friends, and arrange class reunions or other gatherings. So, you might ask, why am I writing an article about Facebook? Because while it is popular, it is not free of its problems as well.
The first and most important issue is the popularity of the various games and other applications that are available. While most are harmless and just ways to burn free time, there are others that can potentially infect your computer with trojan horses, viruses, or other infections, especially if you do not have a good antivirus software (such as Norton Antivirus; please refer to Norton Antivirus and Antivirus Efficiency articles for more information). It is very easy, especially if one uses either Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Mozilla's Firefox as his web browser of choice. The reason being that Internet Explorer leaves so many security holes open thanks to ActiveX that it is essentially like having no security at all. (Thankfully, Norton Antivirus tends to stop attacks through Internet Explorer's deficiencies.) Firefox, on the other hand, is designed to use Java and Javascript (just like all other web browsers) but it, just like Internet Explorer, leaves the security so low that it may as well have no security options at all. Can Firefox be corrected to shore up its defenses? Yes, but that breaks other functionality within the software, so it essentially is not a good option. (Besides this, Firefox also has huge memory leaks that make it undesirable. That is covered in the Web Browsers article.)
What is the best option if the two most commonly used web browsers are out of the running? The choices are Opera, Google Chrome, and for those of you who want a bit more security by something that is not considered very often anymore, Netscape.
Why Netscape? Easy: while no longer being developed, it is still fully functional and more secure than just about any other browser in use today. However, this is a topic for another article, so we will not discuss it further here.
So, besides potential infections, why else might you not want to use Facebook? Because they are very insecure. A perfect example is my personal account. I had a Facebook for two years which I used off and on. Earlier this month (June 2010), I wanted to log into it as I got a message from someone I wanted to read. Upon entering my login credentials, I got a message saying that they had disabled my account due to violating their policies. When inquiring about this, I was told that I either (a) had impersonated someone rather than being who I said I was or (b) had set up more than one account on the website. Neither of these are true, so I have inquired for information. Their only response has been that their decision was final. I have forwarded this to my legal team as this puts not only my professional name but also my business name (as I put the details of Best Deal Computers in that account) into a bad light. Up to this time, Facebook has not been forthcoming with any information regarding their decision and, thus, have been unable to back up their claim that I have done anything contrary to their established policies.
Now how might they be justified in making this decision? If they can show for a fact that I had set up another account for misuse of the system or that they can show some sort of documentation that shows that I am not truly myself or that I am not truly the owner of Best Deal Computers. Until such time, they are disallowing my legitimate and appropriate use of the website. While this is not criminal in nature (as it is their website and, thus, they can set whatever rules they want for its use), it is potentially actionable in civil court.
I am sure that I am not the first who has been so violated as to have his account removed without cause and I am sure that I will not be the last either. If you or anyone you know has had this happen, please drop me an email at jbevan@bdcusa.com. If we gather a large enough group of people together, we can contact the Attorney General of the State of California and have him look into this matter.
Until such time that Facebook returns my account to me, I will not be able to recommend it as a social networking website. Be forewarned that use of their website could potentially put your information at risk of being compromised. There is no telling what happens to the accounts they seize or who has access to them once they are out of your control.