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Expert warns about posting personal details online
Thursday 23rd April 2009, by Daniel King
One expert has advised broadband users to be careful about the level of information regarding themselves they post online.
According to a spokesman for Get Safe Online (GSO), a government-backed initiative aiming to educate on matters of internet security, said some consumers are putting themselves at risk by over exposing themselves on the web.
Tony Neate, managing director at the organisation, said there is a growing tendency for people to give out details like dates of birth and home addresses that can be combined to build a profile that matches your identity.
He warned that although most people would admit to having at least some concerns about how safe their personal data is, many of us are happy to give away information that "we wouldn't if we were at the bus stop".
Mr Neate explained that if criminals are able to match the financial details of a person with personal information they have freely posted on a social networking site, they are "nearly there in terms of stealing your identity".
"You start putting that stuff together and it does build a profile of individuals," he concluded.
Research recently conducted by Vanson Bourne on behalf of GSO found students were among the largest groups putting themselves at risk by sharing too much information online.
In addition, Ten per cent of such respondents said they saw "no risk" of falling victime to internet crime and 28 per cent admitted to entering personal details into a website from an unsecured computer - in comparison to the national average of 11 per cent.
Categories: Broadband, Internet Security
