Secure.me – Secure Your Social Life

Most people use antivirus software to protect their computers from viruses and worms. When it comes to personal safety, however, the average person is left wide open. Secure.me is a web-application that people can use to protect themselves and their children from predators, stalkers, and scammers on social networks like Facebook.

Secure.me works in three basic ways. The application keeps your personal information private on Facebook, it takes control over any apps you’ve connected to your social networking accounts, and it protects your reputation by alerting you when people have posted photos of you or your family online. Connect your Facebook account to Secure.me to begin using the app. Secure.me will scan your current Facebook privacy settings and permissions, and suggest changes you should make to prevent outsiders from obtaining your personal information. If you’ve connected to outside apps through your Facebook account in the past, then you’ll also want Secure.me to run a “profile analysis.” Secure.me will let you know which data each of your apps is taking from your account, and whether those apps are managing that data in a way that seems safe. Secure.me will also let you know if a particular app seems untrustworthy. You can then decide for yourself whether to un-link the app to prevent unsavory information from getting out.

If you’ve got kids with Facebook accounts, then you’ll appreciate Secure.me’s child safety tools. When you connect Secure.me to your child’s account, the web-app will automatically track your child’s privacy levels and alert you to any social interactions you may want to take a closer look at. Secure.me will also inform you when new pictures of your child have been posted online, or when strangers attempt to contact your child through messages on Facebook.

Practical Uses:

• Make sure your Facebook privacy settings are up to date
• Prevent strangers from contacting your kids online
• Find out when people post photos of your child on Facebook
• Protect your personal reputation

Insider Tips:

• Users can monitor up to three Facebook profiles
• Users don’t need a Facebook profile to monitor their children’s profiles
• Secure.me connects with thousands of apps through Facebook
• iPhone users can download the mobile app

What we liked:

• Parents can keep track of what their kids are doing online
• Every user is given a privacy analysis score
• Secure.me automatically alerts users with updates and suggestions
• People can use Secure.me to track the content being posted about them online

What we didn’t like:

• Nothing

Alternatives:

• Friend Checker – http://www.friendchecker.com
• Minormonitor – http://www.minormonitor.com
• Social Shield – http://www.socialshield.com

Company Info:

• Launched: November 2009
• Privately Held
• Headquarters: Munich, Germany
• Founded by: Christian Sigl and Mario Grobholz
• Web site: https://www.secure.me/en

Costs:

• Free