EMONG'S JOURNALS

We all know that the best way to avoid a virus or malware is to be vigilant when clicking on links. Never let your defenses down and never click on something without thinking. That will mean instant regret. A new malware is circulating via Facebook Messenger, and although the popular social media platform can keep your personal information private, it can’t protect you from this malicious virus. You will receive a message sent from a contact that contains the name of the user, and the text link which says, http //wish4u co/2020?m= name of your FB friend &t=fm... Clicking on the link will open a holiday greeting, then redirects the users to an external website that eventually tricks them into giving out their personal data, and will then send a similar message to the victim's contacts. I myself got many of these. I woke up this morning to see some 10 messages from several Facebook friends and all of them read 'WISH4U' plus the extension which contains their ...

Nearly 47 million people in the Philippines are obsessed with Facebook and Filipinos gawk at their account at least 1.5 hours every day. That's a staggering 25 billion hours of social media stuff down the throat and into the nation's brain systems each year. Let's have a look at just what is in Facebook, why it's so addictive and how it affects you. Why is Facebook so addictive? In an article from news.com.au , it said researchers from California State University-Fullerton had recently discovered that social media obsession may lead to something akin to classical addiction. The findings, published in the journal Psychological Reports: Disability and Trauma showed that the brains of people who report compulsive urges to use Facebook show some brain patterns similar to those found in drug addicts or problem gamblers. They found that peer approval on social media (e.g. having people ‘like’ your photos on Facebook) releases dopamine in the brain. This is t...

Hackers are using Facebook quizzes to trick people into voluntarily giving out their personal information. What kind of personality do you have? What is the true meaning of your name? How are you gonna die? These and a lot more Facebook quizzes are surfacing on everybody's news feed. Sri Sridharan, managing director at the Florida Center for Cybersecurity, explains hackers want to use the information to make money. “It seems harmless but you never know who’s really asking you for that information,” he said. Most of the quizzes ask you to log in or ask for access to your Facebook account. Sridharan says hackers can use quizzes to disguise malicious links. Some will connect to Facebook accounts in order to extract data. Hackers can even trick people into downloading malware. “The more they know about you, the more ways they can trick you into doing something like clicking on a link you should not click on,” said Sridharan. What are the ways to keep you safe? Well, just be...

I remember the days when we have to pay much for a long distance voice call, spending hundreds of pesos to pay up when our phone bills arrive. But now, technology has made it possible to make free voice and video calls to our Facebook friends over the Internet, thanks to Facebook’s voice calling feature in its Messenger app. What's great about the app is it's toll-free. No charges even for international calls when you're using a Wi-Fi connection (except when you're using data connection where you have to spend minutes from your network's voice plan). Here's how to use it: 1. Make sure you and your FB friend have the Facebook Messenger app installed on your Android or iOS phones, and both of you are connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi connection. 2. From your menu, tap the Messenger button to open the app. 3. Once opened, you'll see the usual list of your FB friends. Tap to choose who you want to call. 4. When you and your friend's conver...

So there we have it, the announcement of Senator Grace Poe's presidential candidacy for the upcoming 2016 elections completed the triangle of prexy hopefuls between her, Vice President Jojo Binay and former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. The political scenario indeed heated up the headlines until Facebook user Keith Bacongco shared this photo - snapped from Barangay Paco, Kidapawan City in North Cotabato - and literally doused the blazing temperature... the photograph encouraging quite a number of laughs from netizens. The FB post was captioned: "When you're at the right place at the right time. ‪#‎photography‬ ‪#‎northcotabato‬ ‪#‎mindanao‬ ‪#‎politics‬ ‪#‎ishootwithcanon‬ ‪#‎luck‬ http://ift.tt/1ikRCs4. - at Brgy Paco Kidapawan City." WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS POST? Share your ideas by commenting.

A Filipino nurse working in Singapore who two years ago denied posting ugly comments about Singaporeans on Facebook finally pleaded guilty to three charges on Wednesday, August 26. What started as a Facebook rant from Ello Ed Mundsel Bello, 28, quickly aroused a swift of backlash of disgust from the locals of Singapore in 2014. According to Channel News Asia , Bello was convicted on one count under the Sedition Act, for promoting feelings of ill-will and hostility, and on two counts of providing false information to police. An additional charge under the Sedition Act, and another for lying to police, will be taken into consideration during sentencing. In his Facebook post, Bello called Singaporeans "loosers (sic) in their own country". "We take their jobs, their future, their women, and soon, we will evict all SG loosers out of their own country", Bello added, saying that Singapore would be the "new Filipino state". The Filipino also stated that...

WE'RE sure everybody's wondering why their Facebook friends are posting the words "God is Real" on their FB timeline all of a sudden. The phrase seems all over the FB news feeds and everybody's not sure what started it. We saw this question on Reddit a couple of weeks ago so we did a little research -- and this is what we found out: Your friends who posted "God is Real" are taking part in a 7-day challenge wherein those who will like or leave a comment on the Facebook status are encouraged to post the following sentences for 7 consecutive days: Day 1: God is real Day 2: God is good Day 3: God is faithful Day 4: God is my strength Day 5: God is my shield Day 6: God is love Day 7: God is alive However, it is still uncertain who and where the challenge started except that it's been on Facebook for almost two months now. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS POST? Share your ideas by commenting.

FOND of making rude, insulting comments against somebody on Facebook and other social media networks? Better start breaking the habit as "cyberbullying" will soon become a criminal offense. According to a news article from Sun Star , Camarines Sur Representative Rolando Andaya Jr. filed House Bill 5718 to make accountable persons who make insulting and defamatory posts online against another individual. Under the proposed law, a penalty of P50,000 but not more than P100,000 and imprisonment of not less than six months but not more than six years, or both, shall be meted upon any person found guilty of cyber-bullying. Andaya said cyber-bullying is a problem generated from the advancement of technology and it has the potential to affect not only school-age children but also any individual who can access a mobile phone or the Internet. "The onset of the internet has shattered world barriers empowering users with immense information and allowed them to be social...

T ired of those endless (and senseless!) photos or stories from your Facebook friends, but can't tell them so anyway? Lo and behold, you now possess the power to "silently" unfollow them in Facebook's new feature, "see less". The "see less" tool allows the FB user to get less updates from a friend rather than completely unfollow him or receiving no updates at all. In other words, the new tool will control the content flow on your Facebook news feed. Plus, Facebook's new master view has been introduced which allows the user to see who all he is following or not following from your friend list. This feature has been extended to pages and groups. News has it that this new feature will be made accessible on Facebook mobile app and desktop starting today. For a detailed step-by-step guide on how to enable the "see less" tool, visit the Facebook News Room here . ANY COMMENTS? Feel free to share your reactions and commen...