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London, Oct 17 (ANI): Social networking giant Facebook has turned off its controversial facial recognition feature for users across Europe.

The tool took biometric information provided when users tag friends' faces in photos to make suggestions on the correct tags for future images.

Facebook was criticised when it introduced the feature last June without formally announcing its arrival on the site.

Privacy campaigners were particularly disturbed since Facebook allows photographs to be published on its site without the express permission, or even knowledge of those pictured, the Daily Mail reports.

According to the paper, the removal of the feature and the forced deletion of all the biometric data will be a major blow to the company, which is facing demands to find new ways to convert its vast hoard users' personal information into cash.

Facebook announced last month that it would suspend the feature across Europe and erase all the biometric facial-recognition data it has collected thus far from users on the continent by October 15.

According to the paper, the move followed a review by Facebook Ireland of the degree to which the social networking site had implemented recommendations made in an audit of the social networking site by the Irish Data Protection Commission last December. (ANI)

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Facebook turns off automatic facial recognition feature for European users

SocialScout, a social networking monitoring service, provides downloadable cyberbully action plan to celebrate National Bullying Prevention Month

Scottsdale, Ariz. (PRWEB) October 17, 2012

We discovered the perpetrator was using my sons name and photo and impersonating him on Facebook, said Taylor. From midnight to morning, the person would post on others pages, saying some pretty harsh things. We first thought his account had been hacked, but it wasnt long before we realized it was an acquaintance of his who had created a profile and acted on his behalf.

According to Aftab.com, a cyberbully and privacy website, 85 percent of middle school aged children have been cyberbullied, but only 5 percent would tell their parents if they were cyberbullied. Perhaps most shocking is that 70 percent of cyberbullying comes from friends or acquaintances.

As cyberbullying continues to grow, it becomes more difficult for children to avoid it, said Betsy Landers, president, National Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Our children cant leave the classroom or playground to shut out cyberbullying; with technology, it follows them everywhere.

This was the first of Taylors four children that used social networking sites, so the landscape was totally new. And, she didnt know what action to take to monitor her children, or how to react to any problems on the networks.

When I was in middle school, the bullying stopped once you left school, said Taylor. Back then we could rumor-monger, but the whole idea of someone copying a photo, creating a new profile, acting as somehow else its just totally new to me. In fact, it was very scary figuring out how to appropriately respond to my son being cyberbullied.

Parents are digital immigrants when it comes to sites like Facebook and Twitter, so its not obvious what risks social media networks can present, explained Matt Cullina, CEO of IDentity Theft 911. We strongly advocate that before parents permit their child to sign-up for a social networking site, they educate themselves on the dangers, and provide some ground rules before establishing an account like permission to monitor accounts and activities.

SocialScout, a parental intelligence tool for parents to monitor their childs social networking habits, is a key product offering by IDentity Theft 911, the nations premier consultative provider of identity and data risk management resolution and education services. Currently offered to PTA members through a partnership with the National PTA, SocialScout offers a quick and easy way to analyze a childs social networking and mobile phone activity while safeguarding their privacy and reputation on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

"My kids say I'm not a helicopter mom. I'm more of a B-52 bomber mom. But even so, I didn't notice there was a problem right away, said Taylor. A monitoring tool like SocialScout could have helped address my sons cyberbullying issue before it got out of hand.

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Mother of Cyberbullied Child Speaks Out, Advocates Plan to Address Bullying

WOBURN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of security and threat management solutions, today announced a partnership with Facebook (FB), with the goal of enhancing the security of social networking both online and offline. Kaspersky Lab is now supplying Facebook with up-to-the-minute data about the latest malicious software threats worldwide, which will be used to protect Facebook users from inadvertently visiting malicious web pages.

People are more likely to click on a link shared by a friend, and this inherent trust is something cyber-criminals prey upon. Malicious URLs can automatically share themselves with a victims personal contacts without the users knowledge, making the links appear legitimate. Now, when Facebook users share or click a link shared by their friends, the link will instantly be compared against Kaspersky Labs database of malicious web pages. If the link matches Facebooks list of known-bad URLs which are supplied to Facebook by Kaspersky Lab and other security vendors the user will be immediately notified and blocked from visiting the web page. This not only prevents the users personal information and computer from being put at risk, but stops the malicious links from spreading further.

At Kaspersky Lab, more than 800 anti-malware experts work around the globe and around the clock to combat cybercrime, analyzing more than 125,000 threats daily. Using the information from the Kaspersky Security Network a cloud-based repository from Kaspersky Lab customers who voluntarily share real-time data on attempted infections and malware activity Kaspersky Lab experts can analyze data and produce up-to-the-second protection for its 300 million users protected by Kaspersky Lab products and technologies around the globe.

Keeping Facebook Users Informed and Protected

Kaspersky Lab believes that informed computer users are the first line of defense against cyber-crime. In addition to supplying Facebook with threat information, Kaspersky Lab will also contribute expert advice, tips and informative articles to the Facebook Security page. This resource center keeps the online community informed about the latest cyber-threats and provides regular reminders of safe online browsing habits. For more information on this Facebook service, please visit http://www.facebook.com/security.

In addition to timely advice, Kaspersky Lab is also supplying Facebook users with an exclusive free six-month subscription for its popular consumer security products. This six-month offer allows users to download Kaspersky PURE Total Security and Kaspersky Security for Mac, ensuring they have the best protection on their machines. Kaspersky PURE is the companys flagship consumer suite, providing critical tools including a password manager, data encryption, and file backup manager to protect users digital assets. Kaspersky Security for Mac protects Mac owners from the growing threat of malware that targets OS X, and prevents Windows-based malware from becoming a hidden infection waiting to transfer to the PCs of friends and family via USB sticks and file sharing. These offers can be accessed through the AV Marketplace tab on Facebook Security page.

QUOTES: Steve Orenberg, President Kaspersky Lab North America When Kaspersky Lab was founded 15 years ago, we could only imagine the ways technology would interconnect the citizens of the Internet and what a huge impact this would have on individuals and society as a whole. The mission of Kaspersky Lab has always been to protect people and businesses as they connect online, and there is no network that is leading the future of online connections like Facebook. Both companies are the best at what we do, so it makes sense to work together toward a safer Internet for all.

Costin Raiu, Director of Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) Kaspersky Lab Over the past 10 years, weve seen incredible growth in the amount of personal information people will voluntarily share, and cybercriminals have naturally followed the money by creating scams and malicious programs specifically targeting social networks. It takes a blend of online awareness and top-notch security technology to be protected online one cannot take the place of the other and by partnering with Facebook, Kaspersky Lab intends to provide both.

Joe Sullivan, Chief Security Officer Facebook "Starting today, the people who use Facebook will be able to benefit from Kaspersky's industry-leading intelligence and technology with their malicious URL data and inclusion in the AV Marketplace. We look forward to the combined work of our companies to help keep people safe both on and off of Facebook."

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Kaspersky Lab and Facebook Partner to Make Social Networking Safer

Summary: Employers should not factor in a candidate's online influence when hiring for social-related positions, but recruit those who show interest and ability to navigate the social media scene.

Employers are more interested in how candidates for social media-related positions make use of technology to advance the business, rather than evaluating each individual's suitability based on their level of social influence.

Freda Kwok, lead consultant at social media marketing agency Blugrapes, said while potential hires need to have experience using popular social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, they should not be judged based on their personal use of such mediums. This means not assessing candidates based on social influence rankings provided by services such as Klout, she noted.

These scores can be easily distorted or rigged, and are not a true reflection of a person's capability to be a good online marketer, Kwok said. Furthermore, a person who has a strong online influence does not necessarily translate to having the right skillsets to manage brand campaigns and social media marketing efforts, she added.

"Employers need to assess candidates more for their professional capabilities, instead of blindsiding it based on personal abilities," she stressed.

Benjamin Koe, CEO of social media monitoring company JamiQ, similarly said the recruitment process should not take into account a candidate's personal use of social media.

"I don't agree there should be measurements at all based on social media use. It says little to nothing about a person," Koe noted.

After all, there is a big difference in having considerable social media influence personally and being able to manage social media engagement on behalf of a company, pointed out Michelle Lim, COO of jobs portal JobsCentral.

As such, she does not see prospective hires being recruited for their online presence and influence but for their ability to manage and navigate the social media scene.

Janice Tay, an online writer at a lifestyle news site, believes the practice of employers checking up on candidates' social influence scores is "more bizarre than bad". This is because such an act mixes the personal and professional use of social media, she noted.

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Aptitude, not influence, makes good social media pros

An 89-year-old woman used to find computers intimidating. Today, she's not only using a computer, she's on a social network, emailing with her family and getting pictures from her grandson in Australia.

Mary McNamara, 89, of Des Plains, Ill., uses a social network to connect with her eight children, 16 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.

When people talk about social networking being for young people, they haven't met Mary McNamara.

McNamara lives in a community for senior citizens in Des Plains, Ill. On any given day, you might find her emailing with her children and grandchildren. You might even find her going through the pictures that her grandson, a professional football player in Australia, posts for her to see.

This woman, who is nearly 90, may not be just out of college, but she is a social networker.

"In my first experience with it, I was afraid I was going to do something wrong and break it," McNamara told Computerworld. "I have children all over the United States and it's really helpful to get in touch with them quickly. At first my family was very, very surprised. They were thrilled to death that I started getting more up-to-date in my life."

McNamara is one of the senior citizens using Connected Living, a social network set up for the residents of more than 200 senior communities in 19 states. By the beginning of 2013, Connected Living is expected to be available to people in 300 facilities in 24 states.

Sarah Hoit, CEO and co-founder of Connected Living, said the company is focused on people in senior communities because they are separated from their families and often feel disconnected.

"I think a lot of people had written off an elder population really connecting," said Hoit. "What we have proven is that not only will the seniors connect, it profoundly changes their lives and their voice and happiness... The initial premise is to connect an entire generation of seniors who were left out of the digital divide."

Connected Living, a cloud-based service, is only for people living in those residential communities, but Hoit said they're hoping to eventually expand to all senior citizens.

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Seniors can learn a new trick -- social networking