Most of us would never dream of divulging our private passwords for personal or work related information to the rest of the world, yet over 34 million internet users are doing just that through social networking sites such as Bebo or MySpace. Robin Parkinson, director of Escape Business Technologies, explains why both business owners and employees need to be aware of the threat to privacy and business efficiency posed by these types of websites.

As the most searched for term in 2006, Bebo is fast becoming one of the UK’s most popular websites. It and other similar social networking sites such as MySpace or FaceBook exist as a place to chat and share pictures and videos with friends. Users are invited to create quizzes to test their friends on how well they really know them, these lists of personal information, such as pet’s names or birthdays, are commonly used as passwords and can act as an open invitation for identity theft.

Research carried out by YouGov has shown that more than a quarter of young workers spend at least three hours a week, during office hours, on sites such as MySpace or YouTube and 42% discussed work related issues on social networking sites or blogs. Companies with no clear policy on how the internet should be used by their staff can face serious problems associated with information leaks as well as losing money due to the increasing amount of time employees spend on non-work related websites. 

Robin explained: “Many employers are unaware of how regularly their staff access the internet for personal reasons and forget that they can be held responsible for all of the activity that originates from one of their machines. Information leaks are often caused by complacency rather than malicious sabotage and could easily be prevented if clear and practical guidelines were put in place.”

Viruses and spyware are a growing threat associated with social networking sites with scams that depend on user interaction rising dramatically. December 2006 saw MySpace forced to shut down hundreds of user pages after a virus redirected legitimate links to a sinister phishing site to obtain personal details.

Robin explained: “People are quite used to monitoring their emails for security risks in the form of fake greetings cards and spam advertising but that awareness is lacking when it comes to these types of social media. More than ever businesses need to have appropriate anti-virus software in place and must educate their employees on safe use of the internet.”

Described as the ‘next big internet threat’ by some security experts, social networking sites, and their seemingly harmless content, can cause sever problems to both individuals and businesses when not taken seriously. The threat from hackers and interactive viruses is set to rise in 2007 and users must become more aware of their actions and the potential outcomes.

Escape, the fastest growing IT company in the north-east, as recognised by Deloitte, has grown from a small local client base when the company was founded in 1999, to servicing 200 clients across the UK today. To find out more about their products and services visit www.escape-tech.co.uk