Young people who use social networking sites have been issued a warning today (November 23rd) by a watchdog.Guidance produced by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) comes amid concerns that millions of those who use such sites are being naive about the details they post on the internet.
Indeed, the office found that over half of the people it surveyed had made most of their details available online.
Meanwhile, more than seven out of ten (71 per cent) of 14 to 21-year-olds reported that they would not want employers or colleagues to do a search on them before they had removed some material.
The watchdog is concerned that the majority of young people fail to realise that the information they provide on social networking sites leaves an electronic footprint which could be traceable in the future.
ICO deputy commissioner David Smith stated: "Many young people are posting content online without thinking about the electronic footprint they leave behind.
"The cost to a person's future can be very high if something undesirable is found by the increasing number of education institutions and employers using the internet as a tool to vet potential students or employees."
Responding to the concerns, Owen Van Natta, an executive at Facebook, told the Guardian that the site takes privacy concerns "very seriously", but added that the "socialisation of the web is happening at such a rapid pace".
Research published earlier this week by Clearswift revealed that two-thirds of HR professionals have had to block access to social networking sites to prevent disruption at work.
