An app for detecting fake Facebook friends is helping parents to keep their kids safe on Facebook.
According to the company, 10-20% of Facebook’s more than 1.35 billion users are inauthentic, their purported identities either wholly constructed or stolen
FakeOFF analyzes usage patterns and assigns each “friend” an easily intelligible 1-10 ranking for likely fraud. Users can create “suspect” lists and receive automatic notifications regarding suspicious activity. FakeOFF even scans photos to determine if they are genuine, and FakeOFF guarantees its users full privacy and control of their usage.
FakeOFF Founder Eliran Shachar says this is especially useful for parents, as the app offers a welcome alternative to other, more invasive means of online monitoring. But for general users as well, FakeOFF is a valuable resource.
“There are any number of reasons why someone would want to create a fake profile for themselves,” explains Shachar, “Some of them are relatively harmless, but in the bad cases — whether it’s a pedophile posing as a minor, or someone looking to plant a bug and invade your computer, or a physical burglar hoping to take advantage of the next time they see you posting vacation shots — there is a very real danger that people need to be protected from. Regardless of the motive, I’m a firm believer that everyone has the right to know who it is they’re dealing with.”
“It’s important to recognize that there is a real threat, but this is not about being paranoid or hysterical. That’s not what we’re about at FakeOFF. If anything, it’s the opposite. What FakeOFF offers is the confidence to be able to explore social media and enjoy all the wonderful things it has to offer without worrying about being preyed upon. We let the system take care of the due diligence, so that you can rest easy knowing that you or your kids are being safe on the internet,” Shacar said.
