Facebook users slack off and leak secrets

A new survey examining the potential productivity implications of the social networking site Facebook, has found that employees who access Facebook during office hours are actually Facebook abusers.

IT security and control firm Sophos which carried out a world wide poll among 500 Facebook users, including those in Singapore, found that while 37.2 percent only visited the site once or twice a day, eight percent admitted using it up to ten times a day, and up to 14.8 percent, approximately one in seven, confessed to being logged onto Facebook almost permanently during their working day.

Several trade unions have however spoken out in the site's defence, suggesting that employers should put more trust in their workforce, and the study did also show that close to half of the Facebook users polled only visited the website at home, after work.

Sophos also warns that organisations that have employees accessing Facebook face a series of security concerns, particularly the risk of sensitive or confidential information being leaked to the wider world.

Facebook reportedly sees 100,000 people signing on to the social networking website every day and Sophos found in another test carried out, that Facebook users open themselves up to online crimes against themselves and their companies.

In a Sophos Facebook ID Probe, a fabricated Facebook profile 'Freddi Staur' (an anagram of 'ID Fraudster'), was created before sending out friend requests to 200 individuals chosen at random from across the globe. There were 87 responses and almost all revealed personal information to 'Freddi' who had divulged little.

From most these new friends, 'Freddi' received one or more email address, their full date of birth, details about their education or workplace and their current address or location.

In addition, most also shared with 'Freddi' photos of family and friends, employer details and even their complete résumés. A number also shared the names of their spouses or partners, while one user even divulged his mother's maiden name - information often requested by websites and credit card companies to retrieve account details.

Most people wouldn't give out their details to a stranger on the street, or even respond to a spam email and people need to realise that this is still unsolicited communication, despite it occurring within Facebook, and users must employ the same basic precautions.