In news from the USA, we hear that LinkedIn, the social media networking site for professionals, has made a settlement offer following complaints that it sent unsolicited marketing messages to its members’ email contacts without their permission. In some cases, the emails that it sent were made to appear as if they were sent from the members themselves rather than from LinkedIn. The amount that was offered in settlement was not disclosed in court papers but with the network having close to 21 million members, it is likely to be a significant sum.
In a separate case, LinkedIn was found to be negligent regarding the security of its members’ log in details. The passwords for around 800,000 accounts were posted online by hackers whose task was made easier by the lack of encryption employed by the site’s owners. Although the settlement figure was substantial, at $1.25 million, it will only amount to a shade over $1.50 when divided amongst those who were affected by the security breach.
LinkedIn is not the only high-profile social media site to have been found wanting when it comes to security in recent years of course. As recently as August of this year, we heard about the software developer who was able to harvest personal data – including names, photographs and locations – from Facebook accounts, simply by guessing the mobile telephone numbers of their owners. Personal online security is as important today as it has ever been, despite the great strides that have been made in the field of digital data protection by experts over the last few years.
Whether you use a variety of social media sites to stay in touch with friends and acquaintances or you rely on email to do so, always safeguard your login details and change your password on a regular basis.