Ready or not, the reveal is on. Facebook search.

Webnotes by: Theresa Payton, Fortalice, LLC. Content also covered on WBTV's "Protecting Your Cyberturf" segment featuring Theresa Payton and Kristen Miranda.

Ready or not, the reveal is on and we hope your ready.  If you have listened to our warnings in the past regarding cleaning up your profile on Facebook, you might be okay.  But everyone needs to listen up about a new Facebook feature coming soon called “Facebook Search”.  

The new Facebook search called “Graph Search” has started to roll out and if you aren’t already concerned about your privacy or that of your loved ones, we hope this will get your attention.  CEO Mark Zuckerberg said this could evolve into a “dating service” of sorts but not to worry because this new feature was built to be "privacy aware”.  Sok in Facebook terms, what does that really mean?  Cyber expert, Theresa Payton, is concerned and issues a warning tonight for our viewers.

HOW IT WORKS:

1.  Very inclusive search:

Graph Search will find things that you like and search across your network of friends, friends of friends and more.  

2.  No “Opt Out” features

There Is No Way to Opt “Out” of Graph Search

3.  Private Information Is Kind of Private

Just remember that Facebook can always access data you post, even marked private or “just friends”

However, by limiting what you share, that will help limit what Graph Search will find.  If you mark a post as share with “just friends” then only your “friends” will find it using a Graph Search.

A photo of you in someone else’s Timeline will show up in a Graph Search

You can “untag photos” or ask your friend to take the photo down 

4.  You are for sale

Expect Graph Search Searches to be Stored / Sold / Mined for data

Just as Google search or Amazon searches help marketing departments anticipate what people are looking for, expect Facebook to capitalize on this functionality.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

1.  Privacy settings for EVERY post

2.  Clean up your profile and timeline

The only way to protect yourself from this is to go through your profile and find out what groups you’re in. See something you might not want the whole world to know about? Delete it! The same goes for photos, videos, and any other aspect of your profile.

3.  Delete from the Activity Log not just Timeline

WORD OF THE WEEK:

GOZI

The virus, Gozi.  According to experts, this virus infected at least 1 million computers worldwide & stole tens of millions of dollars by stealing log in credentials.  The virus was found in the banking industry and was even spotted on some NASA computers.