Inside Facebook
Inside Facebook |
- Facebook Recommends HTTPS Secure Browsing Via Home Page Prompts
- Facebook for Blackberry v2.0 Beta 3 Adds Wi-Fi and Deletion Options for Professionals
- Facebook Details Ceglia Fraud, Pushes for Expedited Discovery in Ownership Case
- Facebook Hires and Departures: Antonio Garcia-Martinez, Interns, Recruiting, Games, Singapore and More
- Facebook Careers Postings: Chinese, Mobile, Engineering, Construction and More
| Facebook Recommends HTTPS Secure Browsing Via Home Page Prompts Posted: 02 Jun 2011 02:53 PM PDT Some users are seeing a prompt at the top of their Facebook home page that reads “Help Protect Your Account with Secure Browsing (https)”. Users can click a button in the prompt to switch to HTTPS and foil attempts by hackers to steal their data. Following the recent exposure of several security threats, Facebook appears to be ramping up its preventative security measures. Developers should list an HTTPS address to make sure they don’t miss out on traffic from those who follow the prompt.
Facebook introduced HTTPS in January to allow users to browse the site over a secured connection. Though it causes pages to load a little slower, it can keep user data safe when they’re connecting over public networks, such as in coffee shops. Facebook says that as of May 10th, 9.6 million users had enabled secure browsing in their Account settings, showing demand for the option despite little promotion for it. Alongside HTTPS, Facebook launched the ability for third-party application developers to list secure canvas and tab URLs. If they don’t provide them, users with HTTPS enabled are shown a roadblock that forces them to either switch to HTTP browsing or retreat to official Facebook content when approaching a canvas app, and users won’t see bookmarks of tab apps. Then in response to some data leaks by third-party apps, Facebook announced last month that by October 1st all apps must provide an SSL certificate to allow HTTP browsing.
Still, Facebook is combatting an image of flawed security, in part due to exaggerated risk assessments of leaks by the press. This new home page prompt should increase awareness of enhanced security options amongst those that might have heard of threats but not the protections against them that Facebook has released. Displayed front and center above the news feed, the prompt explains that “To always view Facebook over a secure connection and help prevent hackers from accessing your info over public networks, turn on Secure Browsing now.” Users can click “Enable Secure Browsing” to reload the home page and continue browsing through HTTPS. They can also click to “Learn more” in the Help Center, and can always enable the option via Account Settings -> Settings -> Account Security. Oddly, the prompt is also being seen by users who have already enabled HTTPS. The prompt will likely increase the percentage of users that do enable secure browsing, making it more important for apps to add secure canvas and tab URLs before the deadline. An increase in secure browsing should also discourage hackers, reduce the impact of security breaches, and improve Facebook’s public standing. Update: The HTTPS prompts come at a time when those who access Facebook via public wi-fi networks over HTTP are at more risk than ever. A recently released Android app called FaceNiff allows hackers “to sniff out and use Facebook accounts of other users on the same open wireless network” similar to browser extension FireSheep. They can then view their private content and perform actions using the hacked account. The prompts are not likely a response to FaceNiff, though. |
| Facebook for Blackberry v2.0 Beta 3 Adds Wi-Fi and Deletion Options for Professionals Posted: 02 Jun 2011 01:46 PM PDT Blackberry just released the third beta update of version 2.0 of its Facebook for Blackberry Smartphones mobile app. It allows users to connect to Facebook over Wi-Fi, which will be especially handy for those without a data plan. Users can now also delete wall posts and comments, and have more options for deleting Messages. The improvements cater to Blackberry’s business-minded customer base by allowing travelers to connect to Facebook while abroad without buying an expensive data plan, and preserve their reputation by deleting objectionable comments and posts.
Blackberry appears to have accelerated the update cycle for its Facebook app, though it still lags behind the more advanced Facebook for iPhone and Facebook for Android apps. The initial release of v2.0 in mid-March added a sleeker design, and the last beta update on May 5th strengthened the app’s integration with native Blackberry device apps including contacts, phone, and SMS. The app continues to grow, adding just under 1 million daily active users in May to reach 23.5 million DAU and 35.3 MAU according to AppData.
Beta 3 of Facebook for Blackberry v2.0 doesn’t add Groups, the last major feature it lacks that iPhone and Android users have — one also missing from the recently released Facebook for Blackberry Playbook tablet app which favored a flashy Chat interface over functionality. Instead, this update provides services that professionals need. New OptionsRegistered BlackBerry Beta Zone users who download Beta 3 can access all the features of the app through Wi-Fi. Helpful to domestic users who haven’t subscribed to a data plan, those who frequently travel abroad should be excited about the ability to access Facebook from hotels, airports, cafes or foreign offices. However, push notifications can only be received if users have a local web browsing data plan. Users now have the option to delete wall posts and comments, and are shown a deletion confirmation prompt. This can assist users if they post something with typos, have second thoughts about a post, or want to scrub their profile of objectionable content posted by friends. When users go to delete a Facebook Message from their inbox, they’ll be given the options to delete it from just the mobile app, their Facebook account, or both. Previously, any Message that was deleted was removed from both the mobile app and their account.
With devices that are in some ways less technically advanced and that have smaller screens, it might not be important to match the feature sets of the Facebook for iPhone and Android apps. Instead, Blackberry is making the wise choice to give its unique customer base the abilities that meet their use cases. |
| Facebook Details Ceglia Fraud, Pushes for Expedited Discovery in Ownership Case Posted: 02 Jun 2011 01:46 PM PDT Facebook has issued its most plainly-worded and specific attack yet against claims by Paul Ceglia that he owns part of the company. “The contract is a cut-and-paste job, the emails are complete fabrications,and this entire lawsuit is a fraud,” it declares as part of a court motion that would require Ceglia to quickly produce his still-scanty evidence. The document then goes on to contradict specific parts of Ceglia’s story. While it openly acknowledges, as before, that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Ceglia had at one point entered in a business relationship, that’s where the similarities end. Ceglia and Zuckerberg did exchange emails, and did sign an agreement, but their discussions and agreement concerned only some coding work that Zuckerberg performed for StreetFax.com,— a web site that posted photographs of traffic intersections for use by insurance adjustors. Zuckerberg and Ceglia never discussed Facebook and they never signed a contract concerning Facebook,— a fact that is not surprising given that Zuckerberg did not even conceive of Facebook until long after the purported contract was signed in April 2003. Facebook then details where it believes Ceglia’s claims break down. Regarding the supposed contract that Ceglia and Zuckerberg signed: The document is riddled with numerous tell-tale signs of fraud, such as the fact that page 1 (which purports to convey an interest in "The Face Book") has different margins and formatting from page 2 (which contains the signatures, yet does not mention "The Face Book"). Moreover, although the purported contract is dated April 2003, page 1 refers to "StreetFax LLC" — an entity that was not created until August 2003. And regarding the batch of emails Ceglia produced recently: Defendants engaged digital forensic examiners to review all of Zuckerberg's emails contained in the email account he used while a student at Harvard. That account contains emails from the 2003-2004 time period. The emails Ceglia quotes in his Amended Complaint do not exist in the account. They are complete fabrications. It appears possible that Zuckerberg deleted the specific emails in question, but the onus is Ceglia to prove that the emails are real in the first place. The rest of the document details Ceglia’s past issues with fraud, including new information about real estate scams he ran last decade, and explains the legal basis for the expedited discovery request. One would expect Facebook to present evidence favoring its side of the case, and it’s for the court to decide how valid its claims are. More interesting is the company’s willingness to make all of these claims now, and for Zuckerberg to swear under oath that they’re true. The company wouldn’t do that if it thought Ceglia had any sort of case. Ceglia and DLA Piper, the high-powered law firm that recently chose to represent him, haven’t yet commented on the latest claims. |
| Posted: 02 Jun 2011 09:00 AM PDT
New hires per LinkedIn and Other Sources:
Recent departures, per LinkedIn:
Prior listings now removed from the Facebook Careers Page:
Who else is hiring? The Inside Network Job Board presents a survey of current openings at leading companies in the industry. |
| Facebook Careers Postings: Chinese, Mobile, Engineering, Construction and More Posted: 02 Jun 2011 08:20 AM PDT
Posts added this week on Facebook's Careers Page:
Jobs posted by Facebook on LinkedIn:
Who else is hiring? The Inside Network Job Board presents a survey of current openings at leading companies in the industry. |
The top hire at Facebook this week, culled from Facebook’s | You are subscribed to email updates from Inside Facebook To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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