Your Daily Computer Security Tips

Security breaches, lapses, holes and gaffes are so frequent nowadays on the social networking sites that I cannot bring each one to your attention. For example, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has serious concerns about the, er, privacy (and I use that word loosely) policies of Facebook.

Facebook has some 200 million users around the world, including 12 million in Canada. That means, unbelievably, that one in three Canadians are on Facebook! As always, there are grave concerns about the information these users are revealing, and what Facebook does with it.

But another serious matter is getting rid of that data. It is easy to deactivate your account. But your details will remain on the Facebook server. The social network claims that about half the people who deactivate their account, change their mind and reactivate it.

However, if you want to completely and truly remove yourself from Facebook, go here. Sign in to your account, then enter your email address. Read the warning, then click Submit.

Your info should now be really, completely, actually, in fact deleted, not just deactivated.