The Truth About Your Recent Posts or The Legality of Facebook

Most of us on Facebook have seen posts that are the basic format of “post this message, or this will happen.” The most recent one I have seen is this:

“In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, professional photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention).

For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times!

(Anyone reading this can copy this text and paste it on their Facebook Wall. This will place them under protection of copyright laws. By the present communiqué, I notify Facebook that it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, disseminate, or take any other action against me on the basis of this profile and/or its contents. The aforementioned prohibited actions also apply to employees, students, agents and/or any staff under Facebook's direction or control. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of my privacy is punished by law (UCC 1 1-308-308 1-103 and the Rome Statute)”

This format is actually quite common, and this started before Zuckerman was even in college. Essentially, it is a chain letter. Remember those lovely emails that told you “if you don’t send this to ten people, you don’t love God,” or “send this to ten people and Bill Gates/AOL/Microsoft will give money to senders of this email.” You may have even received similar things via text messages.

Well, I am here to tell you that, the majority of the time, this is not true. You can love God without being guilted into sending an email, or posting an image, Bill Gates is not going to give you his money, and, in the case of the above Facebook post, you cannot get Facebook to do something by posting about it.

The greatest deterrent to false information is a critical thought, followed by follow-through in research. While I will quickly admit, the above post looks formal, legal, important, and even believable, the only way to change what is shared on Facebook, is by changing your account security settings. Facebook, Inc., even made a public statement regarding this specific post:

"As outlined in our terms, the people who use Facebook own all of the content and information they post on Facebook, and they can control how it is shared through their privacy and application settings," Andrew Noyes, a Facebook spokesman, wrote in an email. "Under our terms, you grant Facebook permission to use, distribute, and share the things you post, subject to the terms and applicable privacy settings."

What does this mean to you, the user? Well, this means that yes, they can use your images, after all, you are using their website, which they built, and made free of cost, but ONLY if your privacy settings allow for it. You will, and always will, own your content, but anybody can come along and save a picture to their folder on their desktop, and then re-share at any time they choose. Unfortunately for the user, this means that if you want true privacy, and don’t want things to be shared, you should discontinue using any social media sites. Thankfully, Facebook has given you the option to “toughen up” your privacy settings, but you can never expect true anonymity while using the internet, it just doesn’t work that way.

Does this mean we should feel dumb if we fell for it? No, I think not. I truly believe that in all circumstances there is always the possibility for learning, we just need to be open to it. I don’t look down on anyone for not realizing these posts are fake, I have made my fair share of mistakes, but after reading this, I do expect you to now do a quick search on any posts that look like this. A good site for this is Snopes, but I usually just do a quick general search of a few key words to find my answers.

Of course, you can always feel free to share this with them in hopes of helping them to learn something new as well!

Tech Tip: Basic PC Maintenance: Cleaning

Personal Computers are similar to cars in many ways. You can upgrade parts, change the exterior, and put cool lights on them, among other things. Just like cars, though, they must be maintained.  There are some simple things you can do to keep them running as close to new as possible throughout the years. Although there will eventually be a time to buy a brand new computer, its always nice to know what can be done to keep your current one running as long as possible without having too many issues. I am here to help you learn what you can do to keep your PC running as smooth as possible.

Remember that doing this puts yourself at the risk of electric shock(low risk), losing information(medium risk), or breaking your computer(medium risk). If you do not feel comfortable doing these things, either have someone you trust that is technically savvy do it for you, or take it to a professional business. It is similar to changing the oil: relatively easy, but if something is done wrong it can result in problems. Once again: Do this at your own risk.

These maintenance procedures are for non-Apple made computers. If you have a maintenance plan with the company or store you purchased you PC from, utilize it. You paid for the service, after all.

Hardware Maintenance

1. Your computer tower has many fans inside to help keep it cool. Keeping a tower cool is a very important part of it running healthy. Just like a car, it can overheat, which can cause it to crash, and sometimes cause more problems that will cause you lose information, or cost money by requiring parts replacement. A few of the places that usually have fans are:

a. Power Supply
b. CPU
c. Graphics card(if there is one)
d. Vents

Having these fans in a computer tower creates a consistent airflow throughout the PC in order to keep it as cool as possible. Unfortunately, this also means that dust can build up very easily within the tower due to the air being pulled from outside the tower.

Dust will stick to every inch of space inside the tower. Landing on the important pieces of hardware that the fans are meant to keep cool, which can cause them to overheat. Dust can also cause static electricity, which is extremely harmful to a computer. If even a small jolt of electricity touches the wrong part of a computer, it can render your PC useless. Then you will have a nice, expensive, and large paperweight.

Let us start with tools:
The first tool you should have to keep dust from building up is a spray can of air. You can find them at any computer electronics store, and they usually cost between $4-$6. One can will usually last you through two cleanings, possibly less if the cleanings are spread apart between longer time frames.
The next tool you will need is an anti-static strap. These can be found at most computer electronics stores. Pricing varies, but they are not expensive and you will only need to purchase one.
The third tool you will need you most likely already have: a screwdriver. Most computer towers need a small phillips screwdriver. You can actually find inexpensive computer repair kits that have the usual tools, including anti-static straps and screwdrivers, among other things, all in one shot. So if you plan on using it ofter, buying one of these would be helpful. I personally like it because it is in a case that is easier to find that just a strap or screwdriver.

The cleaning process:
The first thing you will need to do is shut down your computer. After your computer has completely shut off, locate the back panel to which all those cables are connected to. The first cable you should unplug is the power cable. This ensure that there is absolutely no power going in to your PC. After unplugging the power, you may unplug the other cables in any order you choose. There is no need to remember which  place everything is attached to, because each cable can only fit into its specified slot. If it is a USB, the PC will be able to tell what device it is connected to on its own.
After unplugging all of the cables, take the tower to a well ventilated area such as a back patio or an open garage. Make sure to keep your tools with you when going so you don’t have to go back and forth.
Once you are there, put on the anti-static wrist strap. While looking at the back of your tower, look for a set of screws that line one side, each tower differs on sides, but you can usually tell that it is holding the side panel. NOTE: Some manufacturers make the panel easily removable by some type of locking mechanism that requires squeezing or something similar; check for that before attempting to unscrew a panel. They are usually in an obvious spot like on the top of the tower towards the front or rear. With that said, unscrew(or use the lock release) the screws and save them. You can then remove the panel and put it to the side.
Now you have access to the inside of the computer. Take the clip end of the anti-static strap and connect it to the frame of the computer. Be sure that it is connected to a part that is metal, and that it is not connected to a part of the electronics within; usually the edge where the panel was removed from is best.
Now you may get your can of air ready. Make sure to read the directions on the can, as improperly using a can of compressed air can actually damage your computer, or even your skin. The main things to remember about the can of air: Do NOT turn it upside down, this freezes the air coming out; DO spray in short bursts about two seconds each, as the can gets very cold to the touch. Also, if the can you purchased came with a “hose,” utilize it for those hard to reach places by gently bending it.
Although the whole tower should be sprayed, there are certain parts that are primary to the process. These parts should be sprayed before any other parts in case you run out of air. By chance you bought two cans of air, you should be safe. Furthermore, don’t throw the cans away afterwards. After the cans warm back up, their pressure returns.
The first part to be sprayed is the CPU heat sink and fan connected to it. You can tell what this part is by the large copper or silver colored piece of metal with slats all through it, which is connected to the largest board in your tower, called the “motherboard.” The piece of metal also has a beforehand mentioned fan connected to it. Dust easily gets within the slats and the fan causing the fan to not work as well as it could. Make sure to utilize the “hose” connected to the can to get between each of the slats.
The next part you should make sure to spray are any and all fans within the tower. As each tower has a different number of fans depending on the parts, make sure to look thoroughly to get every one. If any of the fans face the outside of the tower, it is best to spray for the inside to the outside as to not create more work for yourself. There is one fan that is within the power supply that you will have to spray for the outside in as well as the inside out in order to ensure it is clean. This fan will be visible from the outside of the tower by looking at the back; from there you should be able to match placement on the inside in order to spray in the opposite direction as well.
After you have sprayed the primary parts mentioned above, you may move on to the rest of the tower. Make sure to spray any parts that are connected to the motherboard, as well as the general case. You may want to tip the case so the dust falls out , or possibly keep a vacuum nearby so you can catch the dust as you spray it around. Just make sure not to touch any parts with the vacuum parts as you may damage them by bending or breaking a part.
Now that all the cleaning has been done, remove the anti-static clip from the tower, replace the side panel, replace the screws and tighten. No need to tighten too much, as you will need to do this again.
There are a few things that will shorten the amount of time between cleanings for your tower. First, it depends on where you live. If you live in a dry, dusty environment, your tower will collect quite a bit of that dust. Second, pets that have hair. If you have pets, you already know that their hair and fur get everywhere. This will not exclude a computer tower. Third, the amount of time your computer is powered on. The longer a computer is on, the more dust gets inside as fans push and pull air through. The electricity within the computer tower then attracts that dust making it stick to the various parts inside.

Tech Tip: Free Wifi! Not so great?

In this era, we are continually connected to the web. Be it via our home computers, laptops, cellular phones, or tablets, we are constantly connected. Many business already offer free wifi in order for you to bring your business to them while you are working, doing school work, or simply want time to chill. It is definitley useful at times.

The danger in this: eyes may be watching. With the inundation of network access out in the ether, there is quite a bit of information "floating through the air." The wrong person with the right tools can easily skim this information while it is travelling to its point, accessing email accounts, bank accounts, and social networking sites among other things, using your information.

Generally, surfing the web looking at the latest viral video or news report is not in their interest. It is when you must log on to a site that the danger arises. Some places that offer free wifi may have some sort of privacy clause in effect, but you would know what to ask, and who to ask, to find out. That's just a pain when you will usually have to go through neumerous people just to get this information.

When it comes to using these free wifi sites, treat them as if someone is watching everything you type on the keyboard, because that is what they could be doing. This also includes a trusted friend's house that has an unsecured network. Basically, if you don't need a password o log on to the wifi connection, or it is in a public place, be careful what site you visit. This will help you safety, as well as your computer, and possibly your bank accounts, credit card accounts, and overall credit score.

I spoke of the dangers of getting a hold of one piece of login information in my Tech Tips: Facebook Links post. Truly, a hacker sometimes only needs one account and password. Check it out.

Tech Tip: Facebook Links

There are a plethora of games, apps, pics, videos, and links on Facebook. Many of which are simply ploys to either access your information, or to gain access to your account. After doing so, they will post to your profile, and to your friend's profiles, links that will help them gain access to more accounts. They may also gain access to your other accounts such as email, bank, and credit cards. There are a few things to look out for:

If you click a link on Facebook, and it asks you to sign into Facebook, it will most likely not be Facebook. This is a common ploy to get you to enter your account information so they can use it to access your account. Look at the URL(Address Bar), or just leave the page and return to Facebook, you are most likely still logged in.

If you must "Like" a page to view its contents, and it is not from a trusted source such as a well-known business, it is most likely a hack or spam of some sorts. After "Liking" a page, it will post to your profile, getting others to do the same.

Things to help avoid this happening:

Change your password often. Every 3-6 months is usually good. Do not use the same password you use for your online financial accounts. Remember that email you used to sign up? Most people use the same password for that email, and they also get banking and credit card statements to that email, which tells the hacker exactly what bank you use, a password that may work, and an email address that may work as a login for that bank. To think, all this started with a link on Facebook!

Know what your friends post. If you get a post, or see a post, that is our of ordinary for that friend, let them know immediately. If they posted it purposefully, no harm, if not, they will be thankful. Remind them to change their password, too.

Check your account page often by clicking your name. This will tell you what you have posted both on your page, as well as friend's pages. There are so many "status updates" out there, it is easy to miss what has been posted to your own profile.

Finally, don't click on odd links. Usually YouTube links are okay, as well as some news reports, but if you can't see the URL(Address), or can't tell its from YouTube, it may be a hack. Check that URL to see if the address makes sense. I saw a link for "A Crazy Tsunami Video" that was at some site that had nothing to do with news, this is during the Japan quake/tsunami so many people will want to see information. Hackers will use anything to gain access. If you do click, read the above!

Tech Tip: Email Hackers

Hackers like to send emails using first names in the "From" column. This increases their chances of you opening the email if it is from a name you recognize. Some popular "freemail" websites such as Yahoo! and Gmail let you "hover" your mouse over the sender's name, giving you the actual email address of the sender. If you don't recognize it, don't open it.