The Flintstones On Facebook

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the technology available today as much as anyone, but I also think there is a limit. Why, just yesterday, August 6, I was trying to reach a couple of old friends -- Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble -- on Facebook and Twitter, and low and behold, I received a lack of service.

I couldn’t believe it. Today’s technology hit a bump in the road. With that, I began to question the security of these social networking sites in general.

It all happened because of a hacker attack. It works something like this. Hackers get inside the system and command scores of computers to a single site at the same time, preventing legitimate traffic from getting through.

That explains why my friends in Bedrock, USA, never heard from me yesterday. But the fact that a relatively common attack could disable this Web site shows how young and vulnerable Twitter is. You might note that Twitter has become a household name and is used by celebrities, large corporations, small businesses and even protesters in Iran.

Why, even here, we Twitter and Tweet all the time. In fact, Security Products magazine wants to be able to communicate with you, our readers, from sun up to sun down. Twitter allows this to happen.

Maybe I’m a little old school. No, I’m really an old fashioned editor. I like holding a printed copy of Security Products in my hands and reading it word for word. There’s security in the printed copy.

My friends, Fred and Barney like Facebook and Twitter. My sons share pictures and notes with me on Facebook. I still depend upon that printed copy. I’d like to know what you think. You can find me on Twitter at @FredJones007, or it’s easier to just send an e-mail to [email protected].

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