by Felicien | Apr 23, 2018 | Education
We all hear the rumors, the buzz, and constant speculation any time there is a hotly-anticipated iOS release hyped at an Apple keynote. We read the online gossip about the features announced and compare past keynotes.
If you’re reading this, you’ve been there. We have, too. More importantly, we ask the same questions. Will my current iPhone or iPad be supported? Will there be settings to make my iPhone or iPad operate more efficiently, and improve battery life? That’s the ultimate goal for every Apple product user. That, and the glittering unicorn emoji, naturally.
So, let’s dive right into Apple iOS 11.3, shall we?
The release of iOS 11.3 is the third follow-up to the overhaul that was iOS 11 from 2017, and – if Apple is being honest – it’s entirely due to the scandal for which news broke just before Christmas.
Owners of older iPhones are going to love Apple iOS 11.3 because it’s the promised “fix” to the controversial iPhone-slowing process that Apple covertly implanted in our beloved iDevices, intended to slow down the operations of dated models to prevent “sudden shutdown” of the iPhone. (Pssst…Apple…we didn’t believe you!)
Unless you’ve been comatose for the last six months, you’ve heard of Apple’s scandal in admitting it slowed down older phones. There were vague excuses, but it felt like a confirmation to many who joked that it seemed like Apple implanted alarm clocks of sorts that made iDevices slow to a crawl around the 20-month mark, fueling the desire to upgrade the device to the latest version – a well-controlled supply and demand market. Cue Apple’s admission and iDevice owners worldwide felt vindicated, completely ignoring that gnawing feeling of how many devices we feel we’d been tricked into purchasing since the release of the very first iPhone over a decade ago. It wasn’t until after Apple’s offer of battery replacements – at a “discount” – and this release to put control back in the hands of the user that we began to realize that we feel a bit violated.
Looking more closely, Apple offers several features in iOS 11.3, so let’s take a closer look at the highlights of what we get with our digital apology.
Animoji: Have you ever wanted to turn yourself into a bearmoji? Available in the Messages app, now users can select the bear, dragon, skull and sullen lion characters to mimic facial movements and include voice recordings.
Apple News: Apple News: A new, customizable “For You” section with personalized content, including video.
Advanced Mobile Location: An improvement on Location Services, when toggled on this setting automatically shares a user’s location with emergency services when an emergency call is initiated.
App Store Updates: Updates impacting user experience, like the ability to sort reviews by Most Recent, Most Helpful, Most Favorable, and Most Critical, have been long awaited. Thanks, Apple, for catching up and giving users what is most helpful! Apple is recognizing that users want more control and customization of their devices and this update, which also includes file size of updates, will make the App Store more useful in general.
Security Improvements: Ever a concern, Apple detected cybersecurity vulnerabilities in Mail, Find My iPhone, iCloud Drive, and the Phone and Clock apps and patches for these were included in the 11.3 release.
Battery Health: The infamous battery issue has its own setting! Users can get up close and personal with their battery details in Settings, Battery, Battery Health (Beta), and see maximum charge capacity and peak performance capability – and the battery will also indicate if it needs replacing.
It’s only when the charge capacity is less than 100% that users will see a message that “performance management” features have been applied (aka, the slowing-down effect) and offering the user the ability to disable this. Users might notice increased operation speed, but Apple warns to expect sudden shutdowns.
Note: Disabling this feature is semi-permanent; you cannot turn this feature back on unless a sudden shutdown occurs and then this message reverts.
Health Records: iPhone owners can now store personal medical records on the iPhone, including the ability to connect to medical providers and download encrypted records. Have information about allergies, medications, tests, and results, vaccinations, and a plethora of medical details at your fingertips. We expect this feature to continue to evolve.
The Big One:
Updated Privacy: Apple is recognizing that their community greatly values their privacy, and is vowing to help do more to safeguard it.
After installation of iOS 11.3, users are greeted with a welcome message going into more detail about its new Data & Privacy feature that states, “Apple believes privacy is a fundamental human right.” The good news is that Apple is now trying to be very transparent with regard to what data it collects from users. To be fair, iPhone owners are Apple customers, and with this relationship, a degree of consumer information is expected in a transaction. Is Apple not held responsible for maintaining the security on our iPhones? We, therefore, assume they require tidbits of consumer information but also have ironclad security with which to protect us – fair trade on the smallest scale. Apple now tells users what data it collects and why just inside Apple apps with a small icon that looks like two shaking hands. The irony is that much of this information has been included in the privacy policy offered by Apple for iTunes transactions (over 1,000 words, roughly).
Compatible iDevices – iPhone 5S or newer, iPad mini 2 or later, 6th generation iPod Touch or newer, and the 2018 iPad – will (or will have already) receive automatic prompts to install iOS 11.3, but it can also be manually installed via Settings, General, Software Update. The focus with 11.3 is the iPhone, but iOS doesn’t only run on phones, so the new operating system comes with the goal of overall efficiency and privacy.
We love our iPhones (and iPads, too), and we keep endless information on these tiny pocket computers that run our daily lives. From phone calls to text messages, from email to apps, from appointments to reminders, our iPhones hold the key to our productivity and our connectivity, and we want control over how they function. Apple finally recognizes and concedes (some) control to users with iOS 11.3, and we expect even bigger things to come from this.
Apple, this is the beginning of an even better, stronger relationship!
by Felicien | Apr 23, 2018 | Education
Your company is busting at the seams. Staff is piled on top of each other. You’re growing, but the building isn’t. The time has come to move your office and your technology. Where do you begin?
If you stick with us, we have it all sorted out for you, with our “Top 5 Easy Technology and Office Moving Tips.”
The best moving plans always start with a little bit of reconnaissance. Getting it down in writing, as you would see on a blueprint.
What you want
Where will you be located
What will your new location look like
Where will your technology be installed
Will you need to upgrade or replace your equipment
Will you need to renovate the office space
What are the parking slot allotments per business
How to minimize office downtime through your move
As you consider your move, remember, your technology has become one of your employees, in many respects. Behind the scenes, they operate quietly. Your technology performs a high volume of functions, not seen by you and your staff.
Without them, your company doesn’t function smoothly. So, your technology moving plan is as vital as your office moving plan. Implementing the process takes careful and timely planning.
Tip 1. Phone System Evaluation
At your new location you will want to:
Establish a new internet connection
Install new phone lines
Run new cables
Ask yourself: Is it time for equipment upgrades or replacements? How long have your phones been in use? What are the phones speaking and listening quality? Is it hard to hear the caller? Do you or any of your staff sound garbled when speaking? Are the warranties valid or have they expired?
Quick warranty tip – Most phone equipment warranties do not go beyond 24 or 36 months. If you’ve reached those milestones, go ahead and replace.
Installing new phone equipment will save you money, adapt to more modern technology, and new warranties are in place.
As you plan for additional growth, new phones allow you to:
Use video conferencing
Forward voicemails to email
Use an IVR system
Improve call quality
Let’s also not forget telecommunication providers bundle packages, with new installations and low-cost introductory offers.
Tip 2. Cloud-Based Services
At your new location simplify your process. Maybe clean-up IT processes. Starting with Internal Server and Infrastructure. If you keep your current physical set-up, you will need to create new operation protocols.
On the other hand, you could switch over to Cloud-Based Services before your office move. What could you move into the Cloud that would free up physical space at your new location?
Accounting
CRM
Email
Files
Phone System
Administration
Industry-specific software
Anything currently at your location you can send to the cloud reduces your overhead costs and secures your system. You will also eliminate the expense of installing and the upkeep of a secure server room.
Tip 3. Connectivity and Floor Layout
Here is where you must do a physical walk-through of your new location. Before you conclude, your Wi-Fi will work step into the building, look at every square inch of the landscape. What is the construction of the walls? (Some interior building walls make connectivity difficult due to their development and materials)
These are the physical attributes and barriers you’ll want to look for:
Floor layout
Office configuration
Wall and ceiling textures
Water Damage
Mold and Mildew
Technology services availability
Types of technology your neighbors use
Consider hiring a building inspector, that specializes in Connectivity and Technology office space setups. Laying the groundwork here removes any negative impact on employees, should the Wi-Fi connection be blocked and not work on opening day.
Tip 4. Internet Speed and Connection
Frustrated with your internet speeds? All of us have at one point. As you plan your office and technology move, now is the time to improve this necessity. Before you move to your new building, check with your provider to see if there is a cost break on the new service. What you may be paying now is for existing service at your current location, not the new one.
You’ll want to coordinate, with your provider when your new Internet connection goes live. We recommend giving plenty of notice, should you or a staff member needs to be at the location when the service technician arrives.
Tip 5. Transition and Moving-Day
As stated above: “Simplify your process.” Before you make that rapid transition, from one phase of your business to another, consider cutting over before you move.
If you can do it without hindering your business, cut-over before your move date. This part of your transition will make your final relocation simpler. If you are having new equipment installed, before your move, this part of the transition will be fast too.
Finally, these five items stay in place before your move:
Furniture
Computers
Servers and network equipment
Public IP Address (if it’s still needed)
Phone Number Block migration to the phones lines at the new office
Taking the time to consider these items will make the overall office relocation project a more positive experience for everyone involved, including you.
by Felicien | Apr 20, 2018 | Education
Your most valuable asset has nothing to do with information or data you store, but rather within your human resources departments – which may also be your greatest weakness.
Cybercriminals don’t sleep. Nope. In fact, it’s when we sleep that cybercriminals are the most active! There is a good stretch of time during which they can cause significant damage before we rise to start our day, much less notice. While the rest of us are sleeping, cybercriminals are like attendees at an all-night rave with glow-in-the-dark colors splashed about the otherwise-pitch-black room, in the form of paint, black lights, and glow sticks worn by the party goers. Loud music pumps up the energy well into the wee hours of the morning, until just before Average Joes rise at the sound of their alarm clocks to prep for the workday.
Unlike the revelers at the rave, cybercriminals – hackers – aren’t dancing the night away in black leather and copious amounts of hair gel, although we can’t guarantee their wardrobe or style choices. What we can guarantee is their activity: seeking a network with even the tiniest cybersecurity vulnerability which they plan to exploit to their every advantage. This is where your greatest asset comes in: human resources. These human resources are not the team members that oversee onboarding, payroll, benefits administration, or anything like that. We literally mean the resources on your staff that is human! The people that get the daily tasks done are an organization’s greatest asset, even more so than the most dedicated and loyal customers that spend the most money.
Think of these human resources like cheerleaders in a human pyramid: the company is only as strong as the weakest link. This group of individuals is the frontline of defense when it comes to a network’s cybersecurity, and no individual is foolproof. That’s the goal of any hacker, to find that one email address or Internet user that isn’t as solid on defense and wriggle inside with covert tactics.
Most professional organizations install some form, or multiple forms, of antivirus protection at the user-level, as just one of the methods to safeguard against cybersecurity vulnerabilities. End-user antivirus software has remained one of the most effective and reliable methods to protect against infiltration, but antivirus programs have three major faults:
Antivirus programs are only as “good” as the programmers that designed them.
Antivirus programs are only effective when installed and used properly by the end user.
Criminals don’t follow the rules.
That last part is the most important of everything you need to keep in mind for your cybersecurity needs. Hackers have their own set of rules, and those rules change faster than anyone can keep up – including antivirus software developers.
How does antivirus software work? Software installed to protect at the user level, known as endpoint protection, is design to detect and block a virus or malware from taking root on a user’s computer, or worse, accessing a network to which the user is connected. If a user encounters a threat, the antivirus software detects the threat and blocks it using a string of text – an algorithm – it recognizes as a known virus. The virus file tries to take one action or sequence of actions, known to the antivirus software, and the algorithm recognizes this behavior and prompts the user to take action against the suspicious behavior.
The threat landscape is evolving, and new viruses and threats are constantly emerging – faster than antivirus software programs can keep up. Increasing security challenges present ongoing opportunities to strengthen cybersecurity. Brand new viruses emerge and antivirus programs react with new updates to maintain optimal protection for the user’s computer or network. The problem is that the antivirus software industry is in a constant reactive state. Detecting in advance is more proactive, but it relies on predicting criminal behavior. The good news is some viruses behave similarly because of their design, and this helps antivirus programs detect “families” of viruses, including some newer versions.
The trouble is like we mentioned before, is that criminals don’t follow rules. Cybercriminals already know how antivirus software programs work, and the most effective means by which to ensnare a victim to gain access to a network. The number of new viruses being detected each year drastically decreases, which poses the question of whether fewer viruses are being created or antivirus software programs are less effective. It’s not a great position to be in, and a question no business owner ever wants to be forced to answer.
There are many arguments that claim virus detection software programs aren’t as effective in the last 12 months as compared to the previous time frame. Current overall detection rates for the last 12 months are averaging right near 70% of the time. Considering this number is nearly three out of every four instances where a threat is detected before it has the chance to impact a user or network, it’s not a terrible statistic, but it’s still incredibly scary. The potential damage a virus that slips through these cracks can cause is immeasurable.
Reports have shown the average number of professional emails received per day is near 125. Of these, about 75 are legitimate, which means that roughly half of all emails received are spam. These only represent the number of messages that clear security filters.
After digesting these scary numbers, consider an even scarier number: the IT budget for an organization. This is the number by which an organization’s ultimate cybersecurity strength is measured.
Do enough resources get allocated to training end users?
If your human resources – end users – are those responsible for not falling victim to a cyber-attack, help prevent them from being the weakest link that allows access to your network.
Does enough of the budget account for emerging cybersecurity needs?
Your human resources are your greatest asset, but only if properly armed with the right tools and knowledge to protect themselves, a network, and the organization for whom they work. The right cybersecurity awareness training and education can be the thin line between an organization’s success – and failure.
by Felicien | Apr 20, 2018 | Education
According to Pew Research, 77 percent of all Americans now carry a smartphone. There has even been a dramatic increase in smartphone usage for those over 50 years old. As Americans realize how many tasks they can get done on their phones, new and completely radical apps are being created.
Today’s smartphones have powerful processors and LTE connectivity. This is more than enough power for meeting apps, calendars, to-do lists, games, and mobile office suites. Depending on what you need to accomplish, you can find an app for just about any task, including scanning, file management, and travel booking. Though iOS is still the preferred platform, more apps are now available for Android as well. Below are our top 12 apps for making the most of your smartphone.
PocketGuard (Android and iOS)
For those who want to know where all your money goes each month, PocketGuard is a budget management app that also allows you to manage your bank account. The app uses encrypted, read-only technology that connects to your credit card and bank accounts. You can view balances, track spending and purchases, and get a quick look at bill payments. PocketGuard shows you what you can safely spend without being overdrawn or over credit card limits. It’s a great way to stay on a tight budget and the app is free.
Adobe Scan (Android and iOS)
This is the favorite mobile scanner app due to its versatility. You can convert paper documents to PDF, then search and edit the document using Adobe Scan. The app uses optical character recognition to transform a document into digital text. Despite its powerful components, this app is free to download. You can save your downloaded documents to the Cloud using a free Adobe Document Cloud account as well.
Files (iOS only)
The Files app was first released by Apple as part of iOS 11. It works well with either iPhone or iPad to provide a higher level of productivity. Using the Files app, you can connect to iCloud, Dropbox and other file storage programs. Browse, organize and search through documents on any Apple device. The app makes file management much easier. You can also connect with other iCloud users in real time. The Files app is free.
Hopper and Hopper Hotels (iOS only)
These two apps have become a favorite of travelers because they save you money on travel expenses. Hopper helps predict the cheapest time to fly. You can also book your airfare ticket. Hopper Hotel gives users the ability to look for the cheapest hotel rates and book those reservations as well. Hopper Hotels is currently only available in major markets including Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, but the developers are working to include many other cities. They’re also planning to roll the app out to Android soon. Both apps are free.
HP Smart (iOS, Android)
HP Smart replaces the HP All-in-One Printer Remote app. You can set up and manage any HP printer or scanner using this app. It integrates well with programs like Google Drive, Dropbox, Instagram, and Facebook. You can share documents via text messaging or email.
IKEA Place (iOS only)
IKEA has tapped into a major market for those who are trying to furnish or remodel their home. The IKEA Place app lets you browse through their furniture and see how certain items would look in any room of your home. You begin by scanning the rooms you want to furnish, then simply look through their virtual store for furniture and accessories. The app provides a higher level of augmented reality to users. This app can help you avoid buying things that won’t fit in your space.
Microsoft Teams (iOS and Android)
Microsoft Teams is a popular chat-based workspace that allows workers to meet online and share files. It integrates well with other Microsoft products and even some programs from outside vendors. You can be more productive using MS Teams. The app is free.
Things 3 (iOS only)
This task management app is the third release from Cultured Code and reportedly took five years to develop. It enables users to connect with other apps in order to set project goals, brainstorm, and schedule appointments. The app includes easy-to-use features like “Collect Your Thoughts”, “Get Organized”, “Plan Your Time”, and “Make the Most of Your Day”. Though it costs $9.99, it does offer a number of valuable productivity features that can help you create and complete any project on time and within budget.
Just Press Record (iOS only)
Just Press Record makes it easy to record anything. With one tap, you can record your kids at play or an important meeting. This mobile audio recorder also features built-in transcription capabilities and it syncs to iCloud so you can transfer files to other devices. Recording can be completed from a lockscreen, making it fast to use. It also has the ability to transcribe speech and supports a number of different languages. The cost is $4.99.
Chefsfeed (Android only)
If you have a hard time choosing a dining spot, the Chefsfeed app can help you decide. This app includes food and restaurant reviews from professional and celebrity chefs. Learn all about the best dishes and the best restaurants in your area. You can even book restaurant reservations. The Chefsfeed website contains articles and videos that would appeal to all foodies. Chefsfeed is free to download.
Gorogoa (iOS only)
This visually stunning iOS puzzle game takes you on a surreal journey to find and stop a magical beast. Using overlay panel elements and objects in the environment, players can combine elements to create a living game world. This unique puzzle game is beautifully hand-drawn and full of surprises. This game is also available on many gaming systems including PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox. It has won a number of prestigious awards. The app costs $3.99.
Notion (iOS and Android)
Notion uses artificial intelligence and unique algorithms to help users sort through and organize their email inbox. The Radar feature shows you what messages require an immediate reply. It includes helpful features like swipe controls and customizable notifications. Notion has an Alexa skill that makes it possible to use the app with Amazon’s smart speaker system. Notion is free and supports Gmail, G Suite, Office 365 and IMAP email services.
by Felicien | Apr 20, 2018 | Education
17 Product Groups Named-Their Production Halted and Update Support Ended After Irrefutable Evidence Uncovered Flaw in Intel Chips.
The information about the Spectre attacks came to light back in January 2018. Intel and other technology firms and vendors were made aware of research findings by Paul Kocher from Spectreattack.com and Jann Horn from Google Project Zero.
Paul’s collaboration team regarding the chip flaw and the notorious Spectre Attacks were:
Daniel Genkin (the University of Pennsylvania and University of Maryland)
Mike Hamburg (Rambus)
Moritz Lipp (Graz University of Technology)
Yuval Yarom (University of Adelaide and Data61)
The research findings from Paul Kocher’s team and Jann Horn supported what the U.S. Department of Commerce’s agency, NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) found. At NIST’s, National Vulnerability Database website is the research published on January 4, 2018.
Take note of these excerpts, the indirect branch prediction and branch prediction in both announcements:
CVE-2017-5715
Current Description: “Systems with microprocessors utilizing speculative execution and indirect branch prediction may allow unauthorized disclosure of information to an attacker with local user access via a side-channel analysis.”
CVE-2017-5753
Current Description: “Systems with microprocessors utilizing speculative execution and branch prediction may allow unauthorized disclosure of information to an attacker with local user access via a side-channel analysis.”
After the findings arrived, on January 3, 2018, Intel responds to Paul and Jann’s security research findings with this disbelieving statement: “Intel believes these exploits do not have the potential to corrupt, modify or delete data.”
With the proof in front of them, Intel believed the research reports were flawed and incorrect. The idea of these acts caused by a “bug”, or a “flaw” was not possible. Their explanation was, “there are many types of computing devices, using different vendor’s operating systems and processors. All are at risk of being exploited.”
But Paul’s team exploited speculative execution and had solid proof.
They experimented on multiple x86 processor architectures. They used the Intel Ivy Bridge (i7-3630QM). The Intel Haswell (i7-4650U). The Intel Skylake (unspecified Xeon on Google Cloud) and finally an AMD Ryzen processor.
In every test, the team observed the Spectre vulnerability across all of these CPUs. Similar results on both 32- and 64-bit modes, and both Linux and Windows. Some ARM processors also support speculative execution, and the initial testing confirmed, ARM processors could not pass the test.
When they attacked using native code, they were able to read the entire victim’s memory address space, including the secrets stored within it, with ease.
When they attacked using Java code, they successfully read data from the address space of the browser process running it, with zero effort.
The research evidence was irrefutable.
Their results showed there was a flaw in Intel chips.
A day later, January 4, 2018, Intel issues updates to protect systems from security exploits. They released this statement: “Intel has developed and is rapidly issuing updates for all types of Intel-based computer systems — including personal computers and servers — that render those systems immune from both exploits (referred to as “Spectre” and “Meltdown”) reported by Google Project Zero.”
Three months later on April 2, 2018, Intel’s Microcode Revision Guidance is released and what’s inside exposed the truth. In this 19-page pdf document, you will find 17 product groups listed, (color-coded in red), productions halted, and update support has ended.
Looking through the guide, you will find the columns listed by Product Names, Public Name, CPUID, Platform ID, Production Status, Pre-Mitigation Production MCU, STOP deploying these MCU revs, and New Production MCU Rev.
The pages with the discontinued products are below:
Page 4: Bloomfield and Bloomfield Xeon
Page 7: Clarksfield
Page 8: Gulftown and Harpertown Xeon CO & EO
Page 11: Jasper Forest
Page 12: Penryn/QC
Page 15: SoFIA 3GR
Page 16: Wolfdale CO, MO, EO & RO, Wolfdale Xeon CO & EO
Page 17: Yorkfield & Yorkfield Xeon
When you review the columns, you will see one labeled STOP deploying these MCU revs. Intel’s definition for this column is as follows:
Intel recommends discontinuing using these select versions of MCU that were previously released with mitigations for Variant 2 (Spectre) due to system stability issues.
Intel also states in their Microcode Revision Guidance Legend:
“After a comprehensive investigation of the microarchitectures and microcode capabilities for these products, Intel has determined to not release”
“Microcode updates for these products for one or more reasons including, but not limited to the following:”
“Micro-architectural characteristics that preclude a practical implementation of features mitigating Variant 2 (CVE-2017-5715)”
“Limited Commercially Available System Software support.”
“Based on customer inputs, most of these products are implemented as “closed systems” and therefore are expected to have a lower likelihood of exposure to these vulnerabilities.”
As you can see, Intel’s exhaustive investigation could not discredit Paul, Jann and NIST’s research and proof. Intel decided, due to microarchitectures and microcode capabilities, for the specific products listed, not to move forward and release microcode updates for these products.
If you own a PC, Mac, or Cell phone, a Spectre attack can affect your device. If you use Cloud Services, your provider’s infrastructure may be vulnerable to a Spectre attack and theft of customer’s data. If your device uses any of Intel’s older microprocessors, you may be shopping around for a new machine.
by Felicien | Apr 19, 2018 | Education
Social media is big business and has the potential to drive millions of visitors to websites, engage directly with customers on a public platform, and solve – or create – problems in real time. What is the future of “social business”?
Twenty years ago, marketing and promotions were simple and straightforward. The majority of efforts were focused on print: newspaper and magazine advertising, The Yellow Pages, direct mail, billboards, and perhaps flyers. Email marketing was in its infancy, and digital marketing wasn’t quite yet an industry – though there are firms that argue this time frame. Metrics were relatively predictable, and results were in the form of sales and revenue.
Yes, The Yellow Pages telephone directories still offer printed books. Publishers of “phone books”, as they’re often referred to, reduced paper usage by half before 2013, and major efforts are in place to ensure unused or outdated materials are recycled.
This is not the case today! There are so many facets to “digital marketing” that it’s safe to say the industry is constantly evolving. Yes, constantly. The rules change just as often, and the de facto rule-maker is Google. Google has the famous “Google algorithm”, by which all search parameters are defined. If a business or brand doesn’t meet Google’s search preferences, they’ve wasted their time and won’t make the first page of a user’s search results – and when was the last time you clicked past the first page of results in an average Google search?
There are ads within emails and ads on websites, and even “sponsored results” in an Internet search. Consumers have ads coming at them from every angle of the Internet, so why would social media – including the King of Social Media, Facebook – be any different? It’s not. In fact, a Facebook user is valued even more highly than a search user. The Facebook user is already engaged with a website, and it’s one where the content that loads is customized and personalized for each user. Google tries to do this with search results, but there’s only so much Google can do with a string of words and no context. Both Google and Facebook have the user’s history of cookies, but Facebook has the incredibly valuable position of knowing a user’s friends, families, what content a user likes – literally “likes” by clicking the blue-and-white thumbs-up symbol – and what news stories, photos, and content a user clicks on and engages with. In this context, Google’s metric is the click in terms of the value of a visitor, whereas Facebook’s value of a click is a highly-engaged user already on the website and opting to give more of their time and attention. The ultimate competition comes down to the value of a visitor versus the value of a click.
After evolving from a social platform into a platform that can be highly monetized, Facebook turned the digital marketing industry upside down with the newly-invented notion of advertising right in front of Facebook users. Any organization or brand that has ever paid for advertising on Facebook is used to Facebook changing things up by now – after all, Facebook changes their approach on a regular basis. After seizing the lead and maintaining this very profitable position for years – and years – the brain trust recently announced a bold decision to simplify their overall approach – after long being the primary innovator in social media and marketing and carving the path which others follow today.
Facebook Advertisers Are Users, Too
Facebook users fondly recall a time when privacy settings at the user level resembled a “stealth” mode when users had the ability to set their account information, including their names and other details, as completely private and would not show in other Facebook user searches. The added bonus was the implied guarantee that photos, posts, and other user content had this same level of protection. Sometime around 2009, Facebook implemented a pretty major privacy settings overhaul and many users who long enjoyed stealth status were suddenly thrust into the spotlight – and was no longer “invisible”. In all fairness, Facebook gave plenty of advance notice this change was coming. Their public reason was that Facebook is a social media platform, not a private website where a user could have total control – and this is a fair position. Facebook is a free website for users, but it’s not a nonprofit organization. Ever evolving, their approach has tweaked and allowed users to choose various privacy settings for posts, images, etc., which are highly customizable if the user chooses to take the time.
In 2017, Facebook recognized a growing dissatisfaction from its users and tried to pinpoint the cause. After much speculation, Facebook realized the greatest impact to the user experience is the allowance of brands to intermingle with users in their feeds, detracting from the social purpose of the channel. Thus, more major changes were in store. Facebook announced a desire to go “back to basics” and return the focus of a user’s feed to posts shared by friends and family members and make it harder for brands to get their content seen (unless advertisers were willing to pay). The result was that post reach – the number of people that see a post in their feed – plummeted. The plan was for average Facebook users to see fewer news stories, cat videos, political posts, or branded content, but rather see more photos shared by friends of birthday parties, graduations, and other significant events entirely unrelated to corporate messaging.
Privacy, Redefined
The change to the Facebook feed was a welcome change to users and required a major adjustment to social media marketing efforts for companies. Details of how the changes rolled out and the reasons for these changes trickled into news stories until major news broke that Facebook sold private user information on more than 87 million Facebook accounts to an organization involved in the political arena in 2016. Users worldwide felt violated that a trusted entity would share such private details – a harsh reminder that Facebook is a for-profit entity and users need to read the “fine print” and not just agree to Terms and Conditions without reading. Your digital life is not your own when using a website owned by someone other than yourself.
So, what can Facebook users do to protect themselves? Without deleting your Facebook account, it’s wise to do a once-over on user privacy settings every few months to verify what might have changed and safeguard your information.
Check your privacy settings
Facebook offers a variety of user settings allowing for a spectrum of privacy, though most remain a mystery to users. Under “Settings”, click “Privacy” and control how visible information like posts, account information like phone numbers and email addresses, and friend requests and more are.
Keep friends close
Friends’ activity can impact others. If a user allows tagging in a friend’s activity, this is then affected by their privacy settings and is subject to sharing or visibility by others.
Beware third-party apps
At first, it seemed benign to click “accept” when a third-party app or quiz intrigued a user enough to click content, with the innocent warning that the app would thus be granted access to a user’s profile and list of friends. That list of friends became an incredibly valuable commodity in an environment where privacy settings were controlled by a user – a tricky little workaround.
Users can adjust these settings quickly and easily but often didn’t go back to limit access.
Review security alerts
Users can opt for security alerts when Facebook detects a new login from a different device or browser. Two-factor authentication is also an option. To enable, access the same “Settings” menu, and click “Security and Login” from the left navigation and choose “Setting Up Extra Security”.
Security considerations impact all Facebook users, regardless if a user is also an advertiser. Before abandoning Facebook entirely, employ additional efforts to protect user data and your privacy. This type of “social security” has nothing to do with the government-issued card Americans carry, and a few additional steps will help secure user information and improve the Facebook user experience.
