In a previous article we examined Facebook and pointed out its allure.  We listed the aspects of this “free” service and we identified “Likes” and “Dislikes”.  Were we too quick to accept at face value, the company’s emphasis on the importance of privacy?

A Bit about Facebook

• Facebook, launched in 2004, is the most popular online social media and social networking service. It is based in the U.S. and is the creation of Mark Zuckerberg and his fellow Harvard friends and roommates.
• As of June 2017, Facebook reached 2 billion active users.
• It is a giant in terms of net worth. According to Wikipedia, as of Mar 25, 2018, it is worth US$62.2 billion.
• Recently the company has faced considerable scrutiny and public pressure in relation to hate speech, fake news, depictions of violence, and privacy.

Recent News

Facebook has been in the news multiple times of late.  With news related to privacy of data, we need to start with Aleksandr Kogan, a University of Cambridge professor, who created a survey filled out by 270,000 people.  In doing so, he was able to access the data of what was reported as more than 50 million Facebook users – recent news has been released whereby Facebook has admitted that upwards of 87 million people were affected by this breach.[1]

While Kogan gained access to this information using legitimate means, via proper channels governing all developers on Facebook, he violated rules related to passing the data to third parties which included Cambridge Analytica.

Zuckerberg was aware of this in 2015.  The action taken at that time was to ban Kogan’s app and demand legal certification from Kogan and others he shared it with.  According to Zuckerberg[2], Cambridge Analtyica completed certification and told Facebook that they actually hadn’t received raw Facebook data at all.  Furthermore, Cambridge Analytica deleted it and weren’t using it.

This reliance on certification turned out to be, as Zuckerberg admits, one of the biggest mistakes made.

Cambridge Analytica:  Is a British political consulting firm established in 2013, that combines data mining, data brokerage, and data analysis along with strategic communication.  They are in part owned by Robert Mercer and Alexander Nix has been the CEO however, this position was suspended after a Channel 4 news segment was broadcasted.  In this he was videotaped in an undercover, hidden camera video interview during which he spoke to someone he believed would use the firm in Sri Lanka for election persuasion purposes.  Nix speaks of creating sex scandals and using fake news to manipulate voters.

Cambridge Analytica has been involved in elections worldwide.  Their executives claim the company has worked in more than 200 elections around the world, including Nigeria, Kenya, the Czech Republic, India, and Argentina.

In 2016 they became involved in the 2016 Brexit referendum by supporting persuadable voters to vote for leaving the EU.  On 18 May 2017, the US Congress began investigation with their connection to Russian attempts to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.  Cambridge Analytica worked for Donald Trump’s political campaign but there is some question as to the level of involvement.[3]

Nix has made bold claims and it is uncertain if some statements have been embellished.  He was quoted as saying this in October, 2016:

Today in the United States we have somewhere close to four or five thousand data points on every individual … So we model the personality of every adult across the United States, some 230 million people. [4]

The Data

News reports point to unethical organizations making use of personal data made available by Facebook.  This begs the question: what data do they have on us and how can they use it?

Data In:

As soon as a user signs up, data and information is collected.  This includes all data – conversations, pictures, videos, and even documents sent via Messenger.  Does this surprise you?  Would you want to see what the information on you includes?

Should we be concerned?  If you use Facebook on your phone and your phone is an Android device, or you use Messenger to send attachments… it would be a good idea to take a closer look.

Users are discovering that they can request to have all of their Facebook data in a zip file.  Some are astonished to find that this data can include data on every call made and text sent.  There are users that are discovering that the data held by Facebook includes rental property lease forms, tenant ledger reports, bill statements, and screen shots of bank transfers.[5]

To download your information:

1. Click the down-pointing triangle at the top right of any Facebook page and select Settings
2. Click Download a copy of your Facebook data at the bottom of General Account Settings
3. Click Start My Archive

In about 10 minutes Facebook processes the request and you’ll get an email and notification when the file is ready to download.

Data Out:

Likely no one is surprised to know that our personal data is being used and shared out to advertisers.  Facebook makes money on sharing out data to advertisers and to app developers.  The challenge is that there is no control of how the data is used once passed to these groups.

Indeed the most alarming aspect of Cambridge Analytica’s “breach” is that it wasn’t a breach at all. It happened almost entirely above board and in line with Facebook policy.[6]

World Response

Investigations are ramping up world-wide.

US:   Zuckerberg will testify before Congress.  On April 10, before a joint hearing of the Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committees and the next day before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission are conducting separate investigations. [7]

This is a serious matter as stated by Senator Amy Klobuchar who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee.  The senator will ask him to explain “what Facebook knew about misusing data from 50 million Americans in order to target political advertising and manipulate voters.” [8]

UK:   Damian Collins, chair for the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee in the House of Commons, questions Facebook user data policies.  “Their answers have consistently understated this risk, and have also been misleading to the Committee,” Collins said. “I will be writing to Mark Zuckerberg asking that either he, or another senior executive from the company, appear to give evidence in front of the Committee as part our inquiry.” [9]

MPs on the digital, culture, media and sport committee have accused Facebook of misleading it in a previous evidence session and called for Mark Zuckerberg to appear before them to answer questions.  They have also recalled Nix. [10]

A U.K. parliamentary media committee summoned CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify about how Facebook uses data.  U.K. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham is investigating how Cambridge Analytica got the data. [11]

Germany: After a meeting with its executives about the abuse of users’ data, the justice minister of Germany stated she wants closer oversight.

Australia: The Information and Privacy Commission has demanded that Facebook provide information on whether any Australian citizens were affected by unauthorized use of profile data. [12]

The Response:  Zuckerberg is set to testify next week before a U.S. congressional committee, and he said top executives at the company would be dispatched to other countries wanting to hold government hearings on the scandal. [13]

User Response

Zuckerberg has stated that the users affected by the misuse of personal data by Cambridge Analytica will be notified.  To date, this has not yet happened.  There are users that are going to delete Facebook as a result of this news and one of the questions we have posed has been: What is the best course of action with regard to Facebook and social media services?

We invite you to give this some thought and to check in with us next week for our Part 2 edition as we outline what Facebook is doing to correct this wrong and we identify the costs associated with what we thought was a “free” service.

We’ll provide out best practices and recommendations for being active on a social media service like Facebook.  However, we’ll leave it up to you to choose your level of exposure and if posting online personal information is worth the associated costs.

This concludes the first part of our Facebook and Privacy article.

We’ll pick it up next week.  Stay tuned!

[1] https://www.ctvnews.ca/
[2] https://www.wired.com/
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/
[4] https://news.sky.com/
[5] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
[6] http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/19/
[7] https://www.ctvnews.ca/
[8] http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/19/
[9] https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/
[10] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/22/
[11] https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/
[12] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/22/
[13] http://www.metronews.ca/life/2018/04/04/

The post Facing the Truth – Facebook & Privacy appeared first on CompuClever.

[Update] As of July 30th 2015, CompuClever and Malwarebytes has successfully resolved the false positive categorization of both PCTuneUpMaestro and PCCleanMaestro. Existing or new users can download, install, and use both applications coexisting with Malwarebytes.

—

Victoria, British Columbia – Since early June 2015, two of CompuClever’s products: PCTuneUpMaestro and PCCleanMaestro have been mistakenly categorized by Malwarebytes as Potentially Unwanted Programs (P.U.P).  The false categorization made by MalwareBytes has affected a small percentage of CompuClever users who also happen to be active Malwarebytes users. Under default settings, Malwarebytes quarantines these programs, rendering them unusable and even uninstallable.

CompuClever is a Microsoft Application Development Partner and an Intel Elite Software Partner. Both PCTuneUpMaestro and PCCleanMaestro were certified through the Microsoft Windows 8 Logo certification process, which means they are completely safe to install and use. Enjoyed by over five million users globally, PCTuneUpMaestro and PCCleanMaestro together provide an advanced suite of PC cleaning, optimization, and maintenance tools that are simple to use yet effective in delivering results.  Being a member of both Microsoft and Intel Partnership programs, CompuClever also strictly adheres to commonly accepted software marketing practices set by regulatory bodies like Google, FTC, and Microsoft/Bing.

CompuClever has been actively engaging Malwarebytes legal and adjudication team with full attention and sincerity in order to discover a viable path that leads to the complete removal of this categorization. We respect Malwarebytes determination to play an active role in regulating the online advertising space by combating those who distribute PUP’s. Nevertheless, we also call upon Malwarebytes adjudication team to examine applications with depth of research and objectivity.

“It is to the common interest of our mutual users of CompuClever and Malwarebytes, that this miscategorization is resolved in a timely and professional fashion”, says Andy Thompson, Communications Director and Editor-in-Chief at CompuClever.

Meanwhile for those CompuClever users who are affected by Malwarebytes’ miscategorization, CompuClever has provided a written procedure instructing users how to restore these two products.

Striving to resolve this issue with full attention and urgency, CompuClever appreciates its users’ ongoing support and patience with this matter. Users who require assistance are encouraged to contact CompuClever support team via support[at]compuclever.com.

About CompuClever

Founded in 2010, CompuClever’s mission is to provide PC users with a safe and enjoyable computing experience.  CompuClever offers products and services, powered by knowledge, know-how and expertise, aimed at enhancing computer safety, performance, and stability. CompuClever software products are designed from the ground up to provide powerful utility and optimization software that can be used quickly and effectively, even by novice computer users.

The post Malwarebytes Mistakenly Flags and Disables CompuClever Applications appeared first on CompuClever.

“PC Clean Maestro has successfully passed the high standards of compatibility, reliability and performance of Windows 7 logo certification,” said Larry Yang, CompuClever Director of Product Development. “By working with Microsoft Corp., CompuClever’s engineering team has been able to focus on incorporating industry-leading best practices and the latest technology to make PC Clean Maestro a stable, worry-free software tool that is compatible with Windows 7.”

Designed for computer users of any level of expertise and experience, PC Clean Maestro is simple to use and yet incredibly effective. The Scan & Clean process locates any traces of personal identity information that are not needed and it finds unwanted junk files and data. Afterwards users are presented with a Scan report where findings can be reviewed at both a summary and detail level, to make PC cleaning easy and fast. An Uninstall Tool also cleanly removes old applications that are rarely used.

As software that is compatible with Windows 7, PC Clean Maestro has been tested for compatibility and reliability on Windows 7, and has passed Microsoft-designed tests to minimize the possibility of crashes, hangs, and reboots, and ensures compatibility with Windows 7, both 32-bit and 64-bit editions.

About CompuClever
CompuClever’s mission is to provide PC users with a more enjoyable computing experience by offering products and services, powered by our knowledge, know-how and expertise, aimed at enhancing computer performance and stability. Our products are designed from the ground up to provide powerful optimization and management tools that can be used quickly and effectively, even by novice computer users. CompuClever was founded in 2010, and has offices in Canada and China.

Contact:

Media@CompuClever.com
209 – 3375 Whittier Ave
Victoria, BC, Canada, V8Z 3R1

http://www.findmysoft.com

The post PC Clean Maestro Achieves Windows 7 Logo Certification appeared first on CompuClever.

VICTORIA BC – September 6, 2011 – The Microsoft Independent Software Vendor (ISV)/Software competency gives CompuClever access the latest technology, tools, resources and training to help provide customers with superior support while building innovative solutions that provide customers with a superior experience.

CompuClever Systems Inc has achieved Silver Independent Software Vendor Competency in the Microsoft Partner Network by demonstrating completing a set of tests to proving a high level of technology expertise, as well as by submitting customer references, and by employing a benchmark number of Microsoft Certified Professionals who are skilled in relevant, current technology. The Microsoft Partner Network, of which CompuClever is a member, provides organizations that deliver products and services through the Microsoft platform with the training, resources and support they need to provide their customers superior experience and results.

“Achieving Silver Competency demonstrates our knowledge of Microsoft and their products, and is a testament to CompuClever‘s expertise in the most up-to-date technologies,” said Larry Yang, CompuClever Director of Product Development. “We provide excellent and effective customer and technical support, which, when combined with the CompuClever’s focus on using industry-leading best practices and the latest technology, really helps users of our products improve the performance and stability of their PCs.”

“By achieving a Silver Competency, partners have proven themselves as specialized technology experts with the skills needed to best serve customers,” said Jon Roskill, corporate vice president, Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft Corp. “The Silver Competency in the Microsoft Partner Network is designed to help customers identify services and solution providers that have demonstrated proof of their capability to deliver quality outcomes and customer satisfaction.”

The Microsoft Independent Software Vendor (ISV)/Software competency gives CompuClever access the latest technology, tools, resources and training to help provide customers with superior support while building innovative solutions that provide customers with a superior experience. The Microsoft Silver Competency demonstrates CompuClever’s success as a technology market leader within a specific technology, and requirements for the Silver Competency are comparable to the formerly recognized Microsoft Certified Partner criteria. All 28 Microsoft technology competencies differentiate a partner’s specific technology capabilities, helping customers find qualified solution providers with expertise in discrete areas quickly and easily.

ABOUT COMPUCLEVER

CompuClever Systems Inc. is a software technology company specializing in PC optimization solutions and products such as PC TuneUp Maestro, a PC maintenance and software tool engineered to enhance computer system performance and stability, run applications and programs faster, and improve Windows startup speeds.

CompuClever’s mission is to provide computer users with a more enjoyable computing experience by offering products and services, powered by our knowledge, know-how and expertise, to improve computer performance and stability. Our products are designed from the ground up to provide powerful optimization and management tools that can be used quickly and effectively, even by novice computer users.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Media(at)CompuClever(dot)com
209 – 3375 Whittier Ave.
Victoria, BC, Canada, V8Z 3R1

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

The post CompuClever achieves Silver Independent Software Vendor Competency in the Microsoft Partner Network appeared first on CompuClever.

PC TuneUp Maestro is designed to improve sluggish computer performance, eliminate system errors and crashes, and simplify and automate the task of keeping PCs running smoothly. Starting with a comprehensive diagnostic snapshot of PC system health, PC TuneUp Maestro offers easy and safe push-button maintenance and optimization features, including registry and hard drive cleaning and optimization, Windows Startup management, system backup and restore, Smart TuneUp scheduling, and other powerful tools that enhance performance and stability while optimizing system operating speed.

“PC TuneUp Maestro provides powerful yet simple tools that are easy for even novices to use,” says Larry Yang, CompuClever Director of Product Development. “PC TuneUp Maestro offers safe and reliable PC protection that lets anyone supercharge their system and really improve the experience of using a PC. It’s all part of CompuClever’s mission of bringing enjoyment back to computing.”

As part of the Intel® Software Partner Program, CompuClever receives constant updates about new research, advancements in technology, and industry-leading solutions. Access to the latest technical knowledge and best practices means CompuClever can continuously improve and update PC TuneUp Maestro, ensuring the software is always easy to use while offering outstanding levels of quality.

PC TuneUp Maestro subscribers also receive free product updates, and can quickly get assistance resolving PC performance or stability issues by connecting directly with CompuClever’s friendly and knowledgeable technical support team.

PC TuneUp Maestro can be downloaded here: https://www.compuclever.com/products/pc-tuneup-maestro/

About CompuClever

CompuClever’s mission is to provide PC users with a more enjoyable computing experience by offering products and services, powered by our knowledge, know-how and expertise, aimed at enhancing computer performance and stability. Our products are designed from the ground up to provide powerful optimization and management tools that can be used quickly and effectively, even by novice computer users. CompuClever was founded in 2010, and has offices in Canada and China.

Contact:

Media@CompuClever.com

The post CompuClever Launches PC TuneUp Maestro To Help Optimize PC Performance and Stability appeared first on CompuClever.

Victoria, British Columbia – April 5, 2011 –CompuClever Systems Inc today announced they have attained status as an Intel Software Partner in order to enable its software solutions for the latest Intel technologies to maximize PC performance, stability, and energy efficiency.

The Intel® Software Partner Program provides companies and individuals resources to effectively develop and market commercial applications optimized for Intel® technologies. Through its partner program, Intel offers tools, resources, technology and expertise to help drive top line growth and assist partners in delivering new and innovative solutions with increased value for the end customer.

”We expect our involvement with the Intel Software Partner Program to provide valuable research and technological advancements for PC TuneUp Maestro,” says Larry Yang, Director of Product Development. PC TuneUp Maestro is designed to help users maintain the performance and health of their PCs. We think it’s important both for the performance of our software as well as giving our customers confidence that they are provided with a solution that has met the stringent requirements set by Intel.”

With the launch of their PCTuneUp Maestro set for April 2011, CompuClever is looking forward to taking a leading role in the PC TuneUp industry. PC TuneUp Maestro offers tools to simplify and/or automate the task of keeping your PC running smoothly. These tools include Registry Management, Startup Management, Registry Defragmentation, PC Optimization, Smart TuneUp, Backup/Restoration and Task Scheduling.

CompuClever was founded in 2010 with offices in Canada and China, with the mission of helping PC users have a more enjoyable computing experience through a complete offering of products and services. Their products are designed from the ground up to provide powerful optimization and management tools presented in a manner that they can be used effectively  even by novice computer users.

Contact:
Media@CompuClever.com

The post CompuClever Systems Inc Becomes Intel Software Partner appeared first on CompuClever.