Social Networking Audit
Feature
Guy-Hermann Ngambeket Ndiandukue, CISA, CISM, CGEIT, ITIL V3(F), PMP, is a computer engineer and practices as a consultant at PwC Cameroon. He has carried out audits on behalf of multiple businesses in sectors as diverse as banking, telecommunications, insurance and the metallurgical industry, among others. He also specializes in data analysis. He can be contacted at guy.hnd@gmail.com.
Social Networks and Privacy—Threats and Protection
“Broadcast yourself!” YouTube’s slogan alone could summarize the spirit of the social revolution caused by the tidal wave of social networks. These have emerged as one of the main channels of communication on the web: links of all kinds are being forged, developed and broken almost instantly. According to a study1 published in France by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) on social networks, carried out using a sample of 1,002 people aged 18 years and over, 77 percent of Internet users say they are a member of at least one of the online social networks included in the study. These social networks’ notoriety is not simply the result of a mere fad. They allow their members to connect in a useful and enjoyable way by offering a variety of applications and benefits tailored to their target audience. LinkedIn has a huge employment market; for example, Jeff Epstein, chief financial officer of Oracle, was allegedly recruited thanks to his profile on this network.2 However, it would be unrealistic to think that the exponential growth of social networks has only positive effects. Indeed, publication and sharing of personal information exposes Internet users to all types of abuse and violation of their privacy. In 2009, a worker was fired for using Facebook during her sick leave from work due to migraines when using computers. Her boss said that if she could use Facebook, she was capable of working on a computer. This incident launched the issue of spying using Facebook.3 The aim of this article is twofold: to identify,
Guy-Hermann Ngambeket Ndiandukue, CISA, CISM, CGEIT, ITIL V3(F), PMP, is a computer engineer and practices as a consultant at PwC Cameroon. He has carried out audits on behalf of multiple businesses in sectors as diverse as banking, telecommunications, insurance and the metallurgical industry, among others. He also specializes in data analysis. He can be contacted at guy.hnd@gmail.com.
Social Networks and Privacy—Threats and Protection
“Broadcast yourself!” YouTube’s slogan alone could summarize the spirit of the social revolution caused by the tidal wave of social networks. These have emerged as one of the main channels of communication on the web: links of all kinds are being forged, developed and broken almost instantly. According to a study1 published in France by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) on social networks, carried out using a sample of 1,002 people aged 18 years and over, 77 percent of Internet users say they are a member of at least one of the online social networks included in the study. These social networks’ notoriety is not simply the result of a mere fad. They allow their members to connect in a useful and enjoyable way by offering a variety of applications and benefits tailored to their target audience. LinkedIn has a huge employment market; for example, Jeff Epstein, chief financial officer of Oracle, was allegedly recruited thanks to his profile on this network.2 However, it would be unrealistic to think that the exponential growth of social networks has only positive effects. Indeed, publication and sharing of personal information exposes Internet users to all types of abuse and violation of their privacy. In 2009, a worker was fired for using Facebook during her sick leave from work due to migraines when using computers. Her boss said that if she could use Facebook, she was capable of working on a computer. This incident launched the issue of spying using Facebook.3 The aim of this article is twofold: to identify,