Social networking site Facebook is opening up the details of its users to the internet at large.The site has introduced a new public-facing search feature that will allow Facebook user profiles carrying personal details to be accessed through search engines including MSN, Yahoo! and Google.
As a result of the new function, non-members of the social networking site will be able to view a thumbnail picture of a Facebook user, alongside links allowing people to interact with them.
The move has provoked concern among security experts, who warn of the dangers of publicising details such as a person's date of birth, since this has traditionally been used as a means of identifying bank customers.
Keith Reed, the online manager for the internet security group Trend Micro, told the Times: "Social networking sites should be a source of fun, not worry, but there are people out there who spend their time trying to exploit people through their private information."
He added that users of the site frequently provide details such as employment history and mobile phone numbers and these can be used to steal a user's identity.
Facebook is also aiming to alter its site by introducing a new advertising system, according to recent reports in the Wall Street Journal.
The system would be similar to that of Google's AdWords, which allows companies who have purchased keywords online to place adverts next to search results.
