Facebook announces security changes – About time too!

Facebook users will be able to log off the site from their mobile/cell phone and get a temporary passwords to use on public computers under new security changes. The updates, announced recently on Facebook’s official blog, come as the social networking giant observes National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

The “one-time passwords” will be available to users when they’re using public computers at libraries, hotels or other places where they feel their regular password might be compromised.

Users can now text “otp” to 32665 on their mobile phones. They’ll immediately get a password that can be used only once and expires in 20 minutes. The feature is being rolled out gradually and should be available to all Facebook members in the next few weeks, according to the blog.

A new tweak also will let users find out if they’re logged on to Facebook on another computer.

“Have you ever borrowed a friend’s phone to use Facebook and then forgotten to log out before you handed it back?” read a blog post from last month promoting the pending feature. “Maybe you logged in from a public computer, but accidentally walked away with your Facebook session still active.” Users will now be able to go to their Account Settings page, find a list of all the computers on which they are currently logged in and shut down the unauthorized log-ins. That feature is already available to all users.

It’s not just Facebook’s efforts to promote safe and secure computing parents need to help to ensure their children are using Facebook safely, and the rest of the internet, responsibly. The social netowork giant also commented on other not particulary well inforced issues,  including:

On Facebook’s 13-year-old age requirement

While it’s begrudgingly acknowledged by parents that tweens are giving false ages to get onto the site, Facebook said, which began as a college-student-only community, takes its minimum age of 13 seriously. “We don’t want anyone under 13 on the site,” they said. “We do have a bunch of different technical and policy measures in place to try and prevent that.” They urge parents to be involved early on as their kids start using the internet and to make sure they understand Facebook and the other sites they visit. “As a starting point, we want to encourage parents to start talking about internet safety at much younger ages,” they said. “Internet safety is not a conversation, it’s an ongoing dialogue.”

Keeping computers up to date is one little-discussed way to defend against viruses, hacking and other online threats is to avoid using outdated software, according to Facebook.

Webster Consulting believe that both Facebook and parents play a huge part.

The “I don’t understand” excuse in NO excuse.

It’s on the wane as the digital age progresses, but a classic parent excuse for not monitoring children’s online behavior is that they don’t understand computers as well as the younger generation.

That’s no good anymore, would you put the security of your house in the hands of your child? Of course not so why do so many parents let there child hold the keys to the internet?

One way to combat ignorance about your childrens favorite websites is to Sign up, get your own account. Then get your child to show you how to use them. It helps you understand and, at the same time, ensure that your children know how to keep themselves safe.

Did you know that the biggest demographic of new Facebook users is aged 45-55yrs?

So what are you waiting for….

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