Feminist Attempts
Posts tagged security
Attempted Gmail Hack
31084 days
by Nadine
in Random Things
I received an email this morning from “Gmail” account servicemails.account@gmail.com asking me to email them my Login ID, Password, Birthday, and Location. Hilarious. Who would fall for that trick? o_O
In case you would, be careful!
On a similar note, I receive an email or SMS message asking if I’ve requested a new password for my gmail account at least once every 3 months. Hacker, be you friend or stranger, if you get in, please do help out with the 1300 unread emails I’ve been meaning to find time to organize.
Facebook Announces Privacy Redesign
01094 days
by Nadine
in Random Things
Facebook just sent out this email to users who have advertised on it before. I wonder what they mean by vague terms they’ve used, but let’s wait and see. I’m happy at least they responded to the pressures.
Hi Nadine,Facebook will roll out changes today that will make it easier for our users to understand and control their privacy settings. As this change will have an impact on our users, we wanted to let you, a valued advertising partner, know about it. Please note that this change will not affect your advertising campaigns and there is no action required on your part.
Facebook is a company that moves quickly, constantly innovating and launching new products to improve the user experience. The feedback we heard from users was that in our efforts to innovate, some of our privacy settings h ad become confusing.
We believe in listening to our users and taking their feedback into account whenever possible. We think the following changes address these concerns by providing users with more control over their privacy settings and making them more simple to use.
Starting today, Facebook will:
* Provide an easy-to-use “master” control that enables users to set who can see the content they share through Facebook. This enables users to choose, with just one click, the overall privacy level they’re comfortable with for the content they share on Facebook. Of course, users can still use all of the granular controls we’ve always offered, if they wish. * Significantly reduce the amount of information that must be visible to everyone on Facebook. Facebook will no longer require that users’ friends and connections are visible to everyone. Only Name, Profile Picture, Networks and Gender must be publicly available. Users can opt to make all other connections private. * Make it simple to control whether other applications and websites access any user information. While a majority of our users love Facebook apps and Facebook-enhanced websites, some may prefer not to share their information outside of Facebook. Users can now opt out with just one click. I encourage you to take a moment to read our CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s blog post and check out the new Facebook Privacy Page.
Thanks,
The Facebook Ads Team
Tick Me Twice, I’m Arab
81139 days
Panic over Arab travelers in New York City’s JFK airport is getting worse every time I pass through it. As soon as they see an Arab passport, the guard at the beginning of the security line ticks your boarding pass twice so that the guard at the screening machines can “randomly” select you for extra screening. In 2007, I was passing through San Francisco airport and was asked to step into a 1m x 1m glass room that sprays something on you for a second. This time, March 2010, leaving New York to Paris, after the CSW meeting, in JFK, was the most bizarre ever. The guard at the beginning of the line didn’t only tick me twice quietly.
My boarding pass at JFK, ticked twice to indicate I was a level two threat, i.e. Arab.
Instead, he told me I was selected for “random screening,” pulled me out of the line (good thing was I avoided the long queue), and yelled out “Female, level 2 security!” at least three times while pointing to me. A security woman behind the x-ray machines acknowledged his yelling and crossed over to escort me through the security check. I emptied my bags, took off my shoes, put them through x-ray and was then asked to stand in a glass cubicle in the middle of the security lines. It didn’t spray anything, but I stood there for 2-3 of minutes while everybody else passed by. It felt uncomfortable but comical at the same time. I wanted to wave to the passers by and say, “Yes, yes, I’m Arab.. hello.” The other cubicles in the security lines parallel to mine were empty. Was I the only Arab in JFK that day? A security dude had taken my passport away, while the woman guard took my belongings to a search desk and stood there talking to people for a few minutes. Then she came and escorted me out and to the desk and told me she was going to go through my stuff with those weird gloves, which she did. After she was done, she said I could go. I told her I didn’t get my passport back. She said “oh” and told me to wait a minute. She disappeared and came back a few minutes later with my passport. I am not sure where they had taken it. I assume this was all because I have a Lebanese passport, right? Do others get the same treatment? Doesn’t it count as discrimination? I took the above photo of my boarding pass afterward. Tick me twice, I’m Arab.
