Socialcam, Facebook Security… and Justin Bieber?

By now any Facebook user has probably noticed an attention-grabbing headlines about Justin Bieber being stabbed by a fan or Snooki being injured in a car accident. As most people have already guessed, these strategically titled items are ploys to convince you to install a Facebook app that will send the same spam to your contact list.

The major offender seems to be an app called “Socialcam,” which recently earned an admonishment from privacy advocates about its default setting of posting any video you watch through the app to your Facebook page without letting you know first.

Unfortunately, the “auto-post to timeline” phenomenon isn’t limited to Socialcam, however. You may have seen similar items in your friends’ pages from Washington Post Social Reader or the music service called Spotify (both of which are legitimate apps). Luckily, hiding such notifications is easy. Simply hover your mouse over the notification, and a drop-down arrow will appear. Click the arrow and then select “Hide all by (name of app)”

Whether or not you want to install these apps on your Facebook page is, of course, up to you. However, we suggest that you never install them on your company’s Facebook page. Appearing obsessed with teen heartthrobs and the Jersey Shore to your friends and family is one thing, but it’s probably something that should be hidden from your customers.