How To Tell If Your ISP Is Throttling Facebook Video

July 12, 2015 by Jim Lastinger 2 Comments

By now everyone is familiar with Facebook video, the videos that play automatically as you scroll over them in your Facebook feed. Facebook video is rapidly growing in popularity right now. It’s even starting to rattle the popularity of Youtube in terms of number of videos uploaded daily.

The meteoric rise in popularity over the past year has gotten everyone’s attention, including your ISP. Recently I’ve discovered that Facebook videos stutter, buffer, and load much more slowly than they have in the past, particularly in the evenings. Generally, slowly loading video is caused by one of two things: either the video itself is not being delivered quickly enough from the provider (Facebook in this case) or your internet connection isn’t fast enough to handle the video without issues. I certainly believe that Facebook and a likely myriad of CDN’s can handle the delivery side, so that leaves the ISP as the most likely culprit. I haven’t seen any slowdowns with any other general downloading or browsing, so maybe the problem is related strictly to video. Could my ISP, Uverse, be throttling Facebook video?

This article is going to teach you exactly how to run your own tests to see if your ISP is throttling Facebook video. The easiest device to test with is actually your phone. I have an iPhone and it’s super-easy to change your network settings, which is handy here because you want to be able to change your settings quickly.

You’ll probably want to wait until evening to run your test. I usually notice the slowdowns after 7 PM.

Step 1: Find some video in the Facebook App

Open the Facebook app and scroll through your newsfeed looking for videos. Videos in ads should be ignored… ads always have a knack for not being throttled.

If the video plays smoothly then you may be OK. If you see any signs of buffering or stalling then you should keep testing.

Step 2: Turn Off Your Wi-Fi

Next, turn off your Wi-Fi connection so that you’re using your mobile data provider’s connection. I use Verizon and haven’t ever noticed slow video when I’ve had at least a decent signal, so I trust them for this test. Plus, it’s in Verizon’s best interest for you to use as much data as possible so they can charge you more $$$.

Once Wi-Fi is disabled scroll through your timeline again looking for videos. All Facebook videos are coming from the same place, so theoretically if one is being throttled then all of them are being throttled. You shouldn’t watch the same video as before because it may be pre-buffered or loaded from your previous viewing.

This is where you would most likely be able to see if your ISP was throttling your connection. If you had poor video playback in step 1 and don’t in step 2 then you’ve found your bottleneck.

Step 3: Testing With A VPN

If you don’t want to use your mobile data to test in Step 2 then you can use a VPN to accomplish the same thing. When you’re connected to a VPN your ISP can’t see what kind of data you’re receiving or where it’s coming from, making it impossible for them to throttle.

The idea here is the same as in Step 2. Once you’re connected to VPN you should look for more videos in the Facebook app and see how they perform.

Testing On Other Devices

You can use the same general procedure to test Facebook video on your desktop, laptop, tablet, etc. You won’t be able to test with your mobile data provider using other devices so you’ll need to rely on a VPN.

Conclusion

As Facebook video grows it wouldn’t be surprising to see more ISP’s try throttling it. Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, HBO Go / HBO Now, and other video sites are easy targets for throttling because they cost ISP’s quite a bit more than general web traffic. You can test to see if your ISP is throttling other services in the same way you test Facebook video.

If you have any questions or comments then leave them below. Let us know if you find any evidence of throttling from your ISP.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Maximum Security & Privacy on Facebook

October 2, 2014 by Jim Lastinger Leave a comment

Half a billion people are on Facebook. Yes, that’s billion with a “b”.

And, while Facebook may seem like all funny posts and picture-sharing, there are a number of risks that come with sharing personal data online — risks like identity theft, cyberbullying, scams and more.

If you’re one of the 500 million on Facebook, and want to ensure that your security and privacy are secure, read through our step-by-step instructions below to keep yourself safe & happy on this social media site.

Basic Security Settings

Go to “settings” in the drop-down menu in the upper righthand corner or the page. Make sure you’re in “general settings” in the lefthand column.

Double check to make sure you’re using a email address that is solely dedicated for your Facebook account, NOT your primary email. If you use your primary that you also use for accessing credit cards, banking info, etc., you are putting yourself at risk.
Use a long, strong password. Never use the same password for your Facebook account that you also use for other important accounts online.

Manage Your Security

Still in “settings”, click the “security” tab in the lefthand column.

Set up login notifications. This will alert you if someone is trying to access your account.
Set up login approvals. This setting will require that you input a code sent to you via text if Facebook doesn’t recognize the device from which it’s being accessed. This is great hacking-prevention!
Check out trusted browsers. It’s best to NOT save browsers and also to log out after each and every Facebook session.
Start a list of trusted contacts. This will help you get your account back to normal after you’ve been hacked or lose your password.
Where have you been logging in from? This will show the various locations and devices from which you’ve logged in to Facebook. If there are sessions that don’t look familiar, look into them as it may mean your account has been compromised.

Protect Your Privacy

Again, still in “settings”, click the “privacy” tab on the left.

Set your sharing/privacy option to Friends only.
Limit the reach of older posts on your Timeline.
Choose who can request to be your “friend”.
Do NOT allow search engines to access your Timeline.
Check out the Activity Log to review all the pictures, posts, etc. you’ve been tagged in.
Select either a “basic” or “strict” filter.
Set “who can look me up?” to Friends only.

We also recommend reading as much as you can about Facebook privacy because it’s constantly evolving. For even greater online protection & privacy, consider using a VPN whenever you access your social media accounts.

Are You At Risk For Facebook Hacking?

July 10, 2014 by Jim Lastinger Leave a comment

Do you know if you’re at risk of having your Facebook account hacked?

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t really give Facebook hackers much thought as you peruse friends’ photos, post updates, and scroll through your Newsfeed. But, the truth is, social media hacking is a lot more common than you might think! And, if you’re not taking some basic precautions, you might be putting yourself at risk, too.

In 2011, 1 in 10 social network users reported that their accounts had been hacked, and in 2012 the frequency increased to 1 in 6. (Source: Norton Cybercrime Report 2011, 2012.)

In order to protect yourself, your accounts, and your personal, private information, here are 7 simple techniques that you can use to ensure that your Facebook account does not fall prey to hackers.

1. Never share your login or password information.

This may seem like a given, but you’d be surprised how many people freely share their logins and passwords with friends and family members. Though your family and friends likely have your best interest at heart, they may unknowingly post, share or communicate information about your account that could put you at greater risk.

2. Create passwords that are LONG and STRONG.

If you use the same easy-t0-remember password for all your accounts, this is a big no-no. It’s recommended that you change your password every few months and create passwords that are both LONG and STRONG. A great way to do this is to use an acronym of your favorite song title or lyrics. For example, if you’re a Billy Joel fan, you could transform some lyrics from his 1976 hit, “New York State of Mind”, into a great password such as ImInaNYSofM1976 — no one’s going to guess that!

3. Don’t click Newsfeed links.

Never click on suspicious looking links to games, apps and other ads that you’re unsure of that may pop-up in your Facebook Newsfeed, and avoid allowing 3rd party applications to access your information when you sign-up for something.

4. Add a second email.

In the “General Settings” section of your Facebook account, had a secondary email in case your account is ever hacked. In the event that your account is compromised, Facebook will send recovery info to both email accounts so you have a better chance of recovering your information quickly and restoring your account security.

5. Only “friend” friends.

Only accept and extend friendship to individual that you actually know. When you accept a stranger’s friend request, you give them access to your personal information, so it’s always best to never post any sensitive, personal or financial details about yourself.

6. Follow Facebook’s advice.

Facebook offers step-by-step instructions that you can follow that outline “How to Prevent Your Facebook Account from being Hacked”. They suggest enabling login notification, checking your active sessions, and enabling secure browsing. Learn how to do all 3 here.

7. Beef up your online security.

Using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a fantastic way to beef up your online security in general and will sure-up not only your social media accounts but all your online activity including emailing, browsing and accessing sensitive sites like banking or credit cards.

A VPN is kind of like a secure tunnel that contains all your data and info, and the tunnel is comprised of an encryption ring that hackers cannot decipher, meaning everything that flows through the tunnel, including your social media activity, is safe.

VPN’s are also extremely valuable if you routinely access your social accounts from low-security networks like coffee shops, airports, hotels, restaurants, or any other public WiFi hotspot.

For a risk-free 7-day trial of GhostPath’s premier VPN service, click here.