Social Networks and Security
August 25, 2009
I got roasted at a conference last year when I pointed out that controlling security and privacy in social networks was a challenge. One 20 something told me that I was an addled goose. No push back from me. I stuck to my assertion and endured the smarmy remarks and head shaking. I thought of this young person when I read “Social Networks Leak Personal Information”. Sure, it is one write up in a trade magazine, but it contains a statement I find instructive:
The researchers say that social networks leak information through a combination of HTTP header information — the Referrer header and the Request-URI — and cookies sent to third-party aggregators such as Google (NSDQ: GOOG)’s DoubleClick, Google Analytics, and Omniture, among others. As a consequence of this leakage, third-party aggregators can potentially link social network identifiers to past and future Web site visits, thereby identifying a person and his or her online activities.
Right? Wrong? With the young-at-heart going social, old geese like me want to move forward with some caution.
Stephen Arnold, August 25, 2009
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