Image Up Advertising & Design

4 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | OCTOBER 2020 By Theresa Rossetti, Resident Many of us use social media. In 2015, Cambridge Analytica was able to collect our data from Facebook because the developer of a quiz passed it on to them. The rules have been tightened up since then, but if you've ever shopped for anything online and then seen an ad for that product on Facebook, you know information sharing is still happening. So how do we stay as private as possible? 1. Audit your settings ruthlessly: On a desktop, look for a downward triangle in the upper right corner of your profile, on my iPhone it's three dots under my profile picture. Go through everything. The Privacy settings can limit who sees your posts and your friend list, how people can find you, etc. Limit who can see what you are sharing and all the other privacy settings. This lowers the chances that your profile will be cloned, and new requests sent to all your friends. 2. In the Apps area review what apps you use. All of them collect your information. Play games on the apps themselves, not through Facebook. Do not join other websites using your Facebook password. I know they can be fun but stop playing Quizzes on Facebook. 3. Check your settings under Ads. You can actually turn these off! 4. Do you follow any groups, pages, clubs, etc.? On their page profile, check Page Transparency. If the people who made/ control/manage the page are from a country you think shouldn't be running that page, unfollow them. 5. Did you get a friend request from someone you're already friends with? Report them. Click the three little dots on the fake profile and look for "Find Support or Report a Profile." A few clicks will notify Facebook that someone is pretending to be your friend. Then decline/delete the fake request immediately. 6. If you share a post that is later deemed a hoax, your share will disappear. If you copy/paste a hoax, it lives on! This is what scammers want. Fact checking is not hard, a quick Google search usually leads to confirmation or denial. For more information see Facebook Privacy Setting in their Help Center, or articles online such as this one from Consumer Reports. https://www.consumerrepor ts.org/privac y/facebook-privac y- settings/ Recently, I received friend requests from two people that I know I am already friends with. Occasionally this can happen if, for some reason, that person wants to edit their profile but doesn't get it right, but two in one day was very suspicious. Keeping Safe Online Neighborhood Watch Update By, Steve Day, Resident A very informative presentation was held at The Lodge Ballroom in August with Chief of Police, Eddie Pust, as the main attraction. The chief was generous with his time as he provided a state of Solera Diamond Valley and the Hemet area in general to the assembled Neighborhood Watch Block Captains. This was Chief Pust's first public appearance since he assumed the position of chief and he expressed his appreciation to Solera Diamond Valley and the Neighborhood Watch for the invite. "Solera Diamond Valley is one of the safest residential locations in Hemet," Chief Pust stated. He attributed this fact to the residents who continue to be vigilant and energetic as to the safety and security of their community. There were many issues that Chief Pust addressed and the minutes of that presentation were distributed to residents via "Sue's Blast." Highlights of the hour-long presentation were that reported traffic accidents in this area amounted to only four in the last 14 years. Reported criminal activity, of any type, resulted in about one incident per month. Of course, Pust did elaborate more on the recent double homicide in our community but emphasized that this was an internal family dispute. As terrible as the outcome was for this family, the incident is an isolated one in which the suspect (son of the victims) was apprehended and is awaiting prosecution for murder. He also commented on the Neighborhood Watch program as being pivotal in the identity and ultimate arrest of the suspect due to the Block Captain maintaining appropriate records, provided by the resident, of the individuals in the victim's home. Other topics brought up by the audience included street racing, Measure U and the police budget, early release of confined prisoners to Hemet, riotous acts of protesters, the threat of defunding the police and the use of a new security camera system called FLOCK Security Camera. This last item raised the attention level of the audience as the chief related the great success that the Hemet PD has had since they purchased a substantial number of the cameras. Numerous arrests dealing with stolen cars, stolen property and the recovery of guns and narcotics were attributed to the installation and use of the FLOCK system. Pust suggested that these cameras might be an item of consideration by Solera Diamond Valley. The bottom line was that there is a "personal responsibility" of every resident to help themselves and the community by becoming the "eyes and ears" for the Hemet PD. "We don't know where the problems are unless we are notified and that means contacting the police," Chief Pust reiterated. There are several ways to contact the police; in an emergency, call 911, for non-emergency, dial (951) 765-2400, use the Hemet Police Department app to report crimes (including 25 other items of interest), and the City of Hemet website where all city agencies may be located. If you are interested in finding out more about the Neighborhood Watch Program, please contact Steve Day at (805) 990-6315 or stevenhday@gmail.com."

• Cover