How To Share Secret Messages in Public Facebook Posts Doug Bernard | Washington DC Let’s say you had something you wanted to say; a message for just one or two other people, but secret to everyone else. It’s a fair bet one of the last places you might consider posting that message was anywhere near […]
Facebook Fasting
Posted February 5th, 2013 at 2:21 pm (UTC-4)
A New Study Suggests How And Why Users Take A Facebook Break Doug Bernard | Washington DC Think for a moment about how you spend your time online. Researching? Randomly clicking through Wikipedia? Watching cat videos? Now think about who’s there with you. Not in real flesh-and-blood terms, but who’s hanging around you online…watching what […]
Fun with Fake Facebook Friends
Posted December 17th, 2012 at 2:16 pm (UTC-4)
Sometimes Facebook Friends Are Not As They Seem Ross Slutsky | Atlanta GA The other day I got a friend request from a man claiming to work at VOA in DC as a programmer. His pedigree was impressive, with claims to an Oxford education. As a one-time VOA intern and current Digital Frontiers contributor, I […]
Facebook Powergrab?
Posted November 23rd, 2012 at 11:53 am (UTC-4)
Should Facebook Users Be Able To “Dislike” Privacy Changes? Doug Bernard | Washington DC There’s an old truism in public relations: if you have bad news to announce, look for a good time when people are distracted to bury the story. That may, or may not, have been the motivation for Facebook to propose a […]
Facebook v. YouFace: A Privacy Faceoff
Posted October 24th, 2012 at 12:29 pm (UTC-4)
“YouFace Is Looking Less Like A Joke On Privacy Ross Slutsky | Atlanta GA Have you heard of a social network called YouFace? If you’re a “30 Rock” fan, that name probably sounds familiar. For those less addicted to comedian Tina Fey, “30 Rock” is a hit TV program in the US, and in a […]
Hey, I’ve Never Met You. And This Is Crazy. But Here’s My Number. Harass Me Maybe.
Posted October 19th, 2012 at 9:38 am (UTC-4)
Why Facebook Believes Privacy Is Not Its Job Ross Slutsky | Atlanta GA Facebook has never had a stellar reputation when it comes to privacy. Here is the latest annoyance. Open a new window in your browser, login to Facebook (if you haven’t already) and check your privacy settings. Click on Edit Settings. Now go […]
Why Did Pakistan Shut Off Twitter?
Posted May 22nd, 2012 at 8:13 pm (UTC-4)
Debate And Rumors About Censorship Swirl Doug Bernard | Washington DC It only lasted for about 8 hours, but that was long enough to start a whole new round of Internet rumor and worry. On Sunday, May 20th, Pakistani telecommunications authorities suddenly blocked all access to the micro-blogging site Twitter, effectively shutting off the service […]
Call of the Weird
Posted May 6th, 2012 at 6:53 pm (UTC-4)
Thoughts On The Strange World Of Online Ads Doug Bernard | Washington DC I’ll admit it. As an organization, we here at VOA can be a rather starchy bunch. Which is usually fitting, given the very serious issues we cover on a daily basis. Still, in general there’s not a lot of laughs to be […]
Your Facebook Friends Have More Friends Than You
Posted February 3rd, 2012 at 5:17 am (UTC-4)
And Other Surprising Findings From a New Facebook Study Doug Bernard | Washington DC “Facebook was not originally created to be a company,” wrote founder Mark Zuckerberg in a letter this week. “Facebook exists to make the world more open and connected, and not just to build a company. We expect everyone at Facebook to […]
