Facebook news: 1 year of McAfee free, but privacy problems remain

This will affect mostly home users.  Facebook users have both Good News and Bad News these days. The Good News is that McAfee is offering FB users a free half-year of protection:

Facebook offers users free McAfee protection - Network World

Facebook has joined forces with McAfee to offer social networkers a free six-month subscription of security software.

Facebook users that take up the free subscription will also be entitled to a discount on a full version of the security software once the trial period is over.

See also:

McAfee Security Insights Blog » Blog Archive » McAfee and Facebook Secure the Internet

Facebook is one of the most popular sites on the Internet, and today McAfee and Facebook announced an unprecedented partnership that’s a great benefit for Facebook users. We believe this unique collaboration is a step in the right direction — using technology and education — to secure the Internet as a whole and reduce global cybercrime.

First, Facebook users will be eligible to receive a complimentary six-month subscription to McAfee® Internet Security Suite available to its users. The suite provides excellent online threat protection—just what today’s active Internet users require to stay safe while surfing and staying safely connected in their online communities. Facebook users can find the offer on the “Protect Your PC” tab on McAfee’s Facebook Page.

Facebook users will also learn how to avoid the dirty tricks that cybercriminals use by visiting the McAfee Facebook Page, as well as the Facebook Security Page (http://www.facebook.com/security). These pages will offer articles and tips about staying safe online so be sure to become a McAfee Facebook fan (www.facebook.com/mcafee).

Lastly, for very rare cases in which a Facebook user’s account has been compromised by malware such as viruses, spyware, phishing scams or other potentially unwanted programs, Facebook and McAfee have co-developed a tool called McAfee Scan and Repair which has been incorporated into the Facebook remediation process. The tool, which quarantines and deletes infected files, gets the Facebook user back on track so he/she can continue to enjoy Facebook knowing his or her computer is protected.

If you have a problem with your machine, having access to the Scan and Repair tool will be a huge benefit compared to the support you would get from other free anti-malware programs like Microsoft Security Essentials.

However, just recently Facebook relaxed its privacy settings unilaterally, exposing to the public data that many FB users thought was private and triggering a firestorm of criticism. Many pages exist documenting this, among them this one:

Facebook Privacy Doesn't Really Exist - F-Secure Weblog : News from the Lab

Absolute privacy on Facebook (and the Internet) is an illusion, it doesn't really exist. Relative privacy is the best that we can hope for.

See also:

facebook privacy - Google News and
A guide to privacy on Facebook | Facebook