VZ-Security functions

The VZ-Networks are protected through a number of security functions that ensure your data is always secure. This page tells you everything you need to know about these functions.

reCaptcha

A captcha is a program that helps us to protect your data. It enables us to identify whether you‘re a human or an automated program that has been developed to extract data from our pages - a so-called “bot”. To do this captcha requires you complete a task that must be fulfilled before you can proceed to the next page. 

You will be asked to enter a captcha code if you wish to do something that bots are frequently programmed to do. This includes, for example, clicking on a number of different profiles in a short space of time. You may also be asked to enter a captcha code when registering, creating a group, or inviting friends to join a group. 

Our new captcha-system recaptcha requires that you enter two short words that are relatively difficult to read. What is difficult for the human eye to decipher is almost impossible for bots. When a bot comes across a captcha he can no longer continue working and the data of our users is protected.

Tip: If you can’t read a captcha, perhaps because it contains special characters, you can use the “new captcha” button (circular arrow) to generate a new code.

Secure Session

The login page contains the security function “Secure session”. Activating it prevents your session from being piggy-backed from another computer by stealing your session cookie whilst you are logged in. Our system, once activated, can recognise and prevent such attacks. The only disadvantage is that a small proportion of users may suddenly be required to login again in the middle of their sessions.

Last Login

As soon as you have logged in, a small box will appear on the left of your screen indicating when you were last logged in to the VZ-Network. Further information about your last session (the IP address used, for example), can be found under “My Account”. If you suspect that someone has cracked your password and logged in to your account using your login data, you can check it here. In accordance with our policy on saving IP addresses, your logins over the past 5 days will be displayed.

Report/Ignore

Every now and then you’ll come across users on the network who don’t stick to the rules and upset others. Don’t let this spoil your day – do something about it. Find out how on our “Reporting and Ignoring” info page.

User-ID

At the beginning of November 2009 we changed everyone’s user IDs. These IDs serve to identify profiles and are the series of characters that are displayed in your browser when you access a VZ-profile page. If anyone had copied data sets that contained general profile information and included a link to the profile before, these are now worthless. You could only get in trouble if you have bookmarked a friend’s profile – this link will no longer work.