In his latest security posting – titled `It ain’t the Timeline, it’s the Ticker, Doc' – Rik Ferguson noted that the changes are moving Facebook to a timeline interface.
Essentially, he said, Facebook is taking all of the information that you have already entered into the social network, your profile, your photos, your posts, comments and other’s comments about you and presenting it in clickable chronological order.
“This has given some commentators cause for concern. Not I”, he observed.
“I’ll admit that when I first read about the changes I was a little worried, even to the point where I messaged my girlfriend to express my concern (I know, geek). So I thought to myself: 'Ferguson, don’t be so negative, at least check it out first before going off the deep end,' ” he added.
According to Ferguson, the new timeline interface to Facebook is pretty intuitive and it certainly says a lot more about me (it’s a profile after all) than the previous layout.
“Enough of the aesthetics though, what of the security concerns? The thing that led me to write this blog was an article by Gregg Keizer which featured commentary from Sophos’ Chet Wisniewski. Chet is of the opinion that the new layout simplifies the procedure of data mining any given individual. 'Timeline makes it a heck of a lot easier [for attackers] to collect information on people,' ” he said.
“He’s right too, If I had previously wanted to look at everything someone had ever done on Facebook , it would mean aeons of clicking to load older posts. Now it’s all presented in a scrollable timeline, much more simple", he added.
The Trend Micro solutions architect goes on to say that the timeline interface certainly makes it easier for anyone who has access to his profile to find out about his Facebook past, but his profile is set to private.
“Not only that I am also very selective about who I add as a friend on Facebook. In all honesty I really don’t mind my friends data-mining me if they have nothing better to do on a rainy afternoon. I’d have to wonder why, but hey, whatever turns your crank”, he noted, adding that the timeline interface also let’s you work out who has 'unfriended' you in recent times.
It's not all wine and roses, however, as Ferguson said that one of his Twitter contacts – Kurt Wismer – agreed that the new interface does introduce some worries to the mix.
The ticker, he asserts – a new scrolling display of updates in the top right corner of your Facebook page – publishes all your activities, including check-ins, in real time to all your friends, including your interactions with people and groups those friends don’t know (if that content is public).
“This is very much a stalker enabler. Now not only can I watch what you are doing on Facebook with people I know, I can also see when you comment, post or like something I have no connection to whatsoever, this is A Bad Thing.
For now, there’s not not you can do about this other than appeal for Facebook to reconfigure this functionality and apply the same kind of discretion any normal person applies in real-life. There is current a groundswell of people posting the following status and for now it’s the only option you have”, he noted.