FSCJ Educates Community on Social Media Safety

The Network’s Media Relations extraordinaire, Michael Corby, took some much needed vacation time, but unfortunately he forgot to log off his computer before he left. As a result, ‘Corby’s Corner’ is taking a back seat to the debut of ‘Will’s Wall’! No, I’m not going to change his Facebook status to something inappropriate or send strongly worded emails to his boss, but I am going to use this blog takeover to talk about the importance of online security.

I filled in for Michael this morning and accompanied Dr. Wally Eaton, Professor of Information Security at FSCJ, to an interview with Staci Spanos of WJXT Channel 4. They discussed the threat of posting photos to Facebook or Twitter. Pictures taken on newer cell phones can allow those who view them online to discover the location of where it was taken.

“Not too many people realize that the newer cell phones and cameras embed GPS data in the photo you are taking,” said Dr. Eaton.

Cell phone manuals can explain how to turn this tracking feature off. Also, Florida offers a website, secureflorida.org, to help better protect you against online threats. After answering a few questions, the websites’ test can assess the security risk of your Facebook or Twitter account.

“The more you share information, the more social you are,” said Dr. Eaton.

It’s convenient that on the day I fill in for Michael to cover a story about online security, he happens to leave his computer unlocked. Perhaps he should head over to secureflorida.org, take the test, and learn how to better protect himself. Fortunately for Michael, ‘Will’s Wall’ is just a one-time thing. I’m sure all you avid ‘Corby’s Corner’ readers didn’t mind the brief change.

Check out the video above for the interview with Dr. Eaton and some snapshots from behind-the-scenes at WJXT Channel 4.