Facebook introduces new security features

FACEBOOK HAS introduced new security measures amid strong criticism of how it handles the private data of its users. The social networking site said it would be rolling out the changes, which include information on various devices used to access the site, over the coming weeks.

The news came soon after chief executive Mark Zuckerberg met employees in what media reports described as a “crisis meeting” on privacy practices.

The company has played down the reports, saying in a statement that it has an open culture. “It should come as no surprise that we are providing a forum for employees to ask questions on a topic that has received a lot of outside interest.”

The new security features cover several areas. You can designate particular devices from which you regularly access your account and, should an attempt be made to access your account from another device, you will be notified by text or e-mail. This will also provide a way to remove the unauthorised device from your account and prevent it from gaining access.

It is not just login notifications.

If the site detects what it terms “suspicious logins”, it will ask additional verification questions to prove identity. Soon it will also provide some Gmail-style notifications indicating from where your account was last accessed.

The move has been greeted with cautious optimism by security experts. Conor Flynn, technical director with Dublin-based Rits, said the new measures were a step in the right direction. “Facebook is making an effort now to do more at an infrastructural level,” he said, “but it’s only a step. I think they can do more over time.”

According to Facebook, there are more than 400 million active registered users on the website, with 50 per cent of users logging in every day.

The site has come in for heavy criticism in recent months for what users and commentators see as a relaxed attitude towards user privacy. It recently unveiled new features to make its service integrate more easily into other websites, including “instant personalisation” that automatically imports personal profile information of Facebook users into sites such as Pandora and Yelp.

In recent months, users found certain changes implemented by the site exposed information they had previously thought was private, such as photographs, while the company was also forced to take its chat system offline to fix a flaw that was said to expose private instant messaging conversations to third parties.

Facebook has also been hit by a number of viruses and spam attacks that spread through private messages and links, such as the Koobface virus.

Mr Flynn however said users also had a responsibility to be careful about what information they shared online and to look after the security of the machines they used to access Facebook, with regular antivirus and software updates to patch known security holes.

“One of the problems is that if people get access to a Facebook account, users are putting up more information on their profile than they should. It’s a door-opener. Facebook can’t do everything. Users have a responsibility.”