Facebook Defends Security Practices

Is Facebook's app system inherently unsafe for the social network's 650 million users?

Responding to that exact criticism, the company last week issued a statement defending its security practices. "We have a dedicated team that does robust review of all third-party applications, using a risk-based approach. That means that we first look at velocity, number of users, types of data shared, and prioritize," said Facebook. "This ensures that the team is focused on addressing the biggest risks, rather than just doing a cursory review at the time that an app is first launched."

The company's statement was issued in reaction to a new threat report from Sophos, released on Wednesday. According to the report, "with furious debate raging every time privacy and security settings are tweaked on Facebook, it seems that functionality and ease-of-use triumph over security every time."

To better protect users, the report recommended that Facebook take a page from Apple and adopt a walled garden approach, in which applications would require "official approval before they can be uploaded to the site and shared with other users."

:story: Full story: InformationWeek