Weak Response to Virus Attacks Show a Lack of Community Spirit at Facebook.

There seems to be a bit of a crisis brewing on Facebook and I am frankly stunned by the lack of coverage. There are now several viruses that are taking advantage of the curiosity of Facebook users in such a way that those users are now spamming their friends with diet advice and other nonsense. At a minimum these viruses are annoying. But there could be serious implications and I don’t believe FB is doing a very responsible job of helping their end-users from contracting and distributing viruses. Without serious action, Facebook could turn into a cesspool of virus activity.

The worst part of this story is that the viruses are not limited to the Facebook account — the code apparently is getting loaded onto the hard drive of the end-user. Advice from Facebook to combat the attack includes signing up with McAfee for a free 6 month virus protection service (but after that you get to pay, of course…). “The best defense is often a good offense” says Facebook.

And according to Read Write Web, Facebook is kicking infected users off and then not letting them back onto the Facebook service until their PCs have been proven to be “clean”.

To me the lack of attention and lack of responsibility shown by Facebook is appalling. How can a social media service that is basically built on the backs of consumer’s interest in connecting with their friends be so cavalier about malicious abuses of its core value? How can they expect to survive if they allow purveyors of viruses to use Facebook as their own private petri dish and distribution system? Isn’t there an approval process of some sort? Peer review? Anything?

I may be missing something, but the lack of clear advice from Facebook and the consumer press about the risks of Facebook viruses and the appropriate methods for getting rid of these viruses is a real concern. If you know of a source that is authoritative on this subject, please let me know and I will promote it.

Source: PeterPropp.com