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The Dark Side of Social Networking

with FrontLine Security Magazine

ZATZ Publishing, in partnership with FrontLine Security Magazine has announced the publication of David Gewirtz's latest Special Report, The Dark Side of Social Networking .

According to the report, authored by David Gewirtz, ZATZ Editor-in-Chief, Cyberterrorism Advisor to the the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and a special contributor for FrontLine Security Magazine, when it comes to social networking, it's not what you know, or even who you know, it's who knows you. And that's pretty much where the trouble starts.

Social networks like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and LinkedIn are the increasingly popular community services that are designed to help people stay in touch. According to Nielsen Company research, more than two-thirds of the world's Internet population visit social networking sites at least once a month, and nearly 10% of all time spent online is devoted to social networking.

With growth this fast, a reach this large, and a community of relatively undisciplined users, social networks are attracting scammers and criminals. The bulk of social networkers are between the ages of 18 and 49 -- prime employment years, and ages where a mistake today could haunt them for many years into the future.

David's 1,086 word Special Report explores the following issues:

* Employment: how social networking can lead to career suicide
* Reputation: how something you say now could haunt you for years into the future.
* Malware, phishing and identity scams: how using services like Facebook and Twitter without caution could cause you serious financial loss

* Physical security and stalking: how social networks give stalkers and other scary people an almost minute-by-minute update on your habits and haunts

Gewirtz asks, will a log of Twitter or Facebook postings provide future "palling around with terrorists" albatrosses for candidates in 2012 and beyond?

As for physical risk, he says, "The potential for horror is enormous. If a criminal can easily find out where you are, what stores you frequent, what your daily habits are, who your friends are, and even what your personal food, entertainment, and beverage preferences are, you can be targeted with a level of ease never before possible."

According to Gewirtz, "I worry that there is a deep and dangerous dark side to social networks and I worry about the potential victims."

About David Gewirtz
David Gewirtz has written more than 700 articles about technology, competitiveness, and national security policy. He is a CNN contributor, the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism & Security Professionals, a columnist for FrontLine Security Magazine and The Journal of Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, and has been a guest commentator for the Nieman Watchdog of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.

David is a former professor of computer science, has lectured at Princeton, Berkeley, UCLA, and Stanford, has been awarded the prestigious Sigma Xi Research Award in Engineering, and was a candidate for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Letters. He is the author of four books including Where Have All The Emails Gone? and The Flexible Enterprise.

He is a member of the FBI's InfraGard program and the U.S. Naval Institute, and is a member of the instructional faculty at the University of California, Berkeley extension. For more information on David and to read his latest articles, visit DavidGewirtz.com .

About ZATZ Publishing
ZATZ Publishing is a leading publisher of special-interest online magazines and books for technical consumers and IT professionals. ZATZ publishes popular magazines, including OutlookPower Magazine , DominoPower Magazine , Computing Unplugged Magazine ,Connected Photographer Magazine , and WebSpherePower Magazine . Together, these publications have nearly one million readers and are the leading monthly magazines in their markets.

About FrontLine Security Magazine
Frontline Security is recognized as the information leader for the crisis management and security industry. This unique publication covers critical aspects of Public Safety, Crisis Management, and Border Security. First responders (police, fire and emergency medical services), governments (at all levels), and non-governmental organizations are developing effective systems to handle the many dangers facing our world today. Seamless interoperability is key to saving time and lives.

ZATZ, the ZATZ logo, OutlookPower, DominoPower, and WebSpherePower, Computing Unplugged, Connected Photographer, and Where Have All The Emails Gone? are trademarks or service marks of ZATZ Publishing, a unit of Component Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. FrontLine Security and the FrontLine name are trademarks of FrontLine Magazine and Beacon Publishing Inc.

 

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