Privacy warning on social networks

People who subscribe to online networks such as Facebook and HI5 could unknowingly be putting their privacy at risk, the European Commission has warned.

These networks are extremely popular worldwide and in Malta thousands are registered on such sites, including ministers and MPs who upload contacts and photos of their activities.

However, according to Brussels, those who use these networks should be very wary of what to post and share online.

EU Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot said that young people are exposing their everyday life online without being aware of the risks such activities could pose, now and in the future, for their privacy.

"It is therefore crucial that these young people are educated on how to surf the internet in a privacy-friendly way," he said.

EU officials are concerned that information collected from such sites could be used by companies to flood consumers with unsolicited advertising or by government agencies to compromise citizens' civil liberties.

Concerns over these social networks have increased lately, especially among parents and privacy advocates, due to the potentially negative effects of posting personal details and photos on popular websites that are accessible from virtually any computer.

It is a known fact that employers closely follow social networking sites to uncover details on potential employees.

Another concern is how to enforce age limits on social networking sites so that young web surfers are shielded from adults. These sites have also been mentioned several times in cases involving the soliciting of children for sexual exploitation.

A Commission official said the EU's warning follows a rapid increase of complaints received by over privacy issues. "We are not recommending that citizens do not use these sites. However, one must be careful what to upload on these networks," he said.