Third of net users publish personal data online

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 17 Dec 2007 at 08:29

A third of internet users admit to posting detailed personal information online, according to a new study.

The Pew Internet Project claims one in three people admit to placing their email address, home address, telephone number and details of their employer online.

Despite the risks of identity theft, six out of ten people aren't concerned about the amount of personal data being stored about them on the internet. Only 38% have made any effort to curtail the amount of information that is published about them online.

However, there is growing evidence that people are becoming more aware of their online persona. Nearly half of internet users have entered their name into a search engine, up from a just under a quarter in 2002.

Yet, only 3% admit to regularly monitoring their online presence, whilst 22% enter their name into the search engine "every once in a while".

The report also shows that teenagers are more savvy than adults when it comes to protecting their identity on social networking sites. Six out of ten adults say their social networking profile is made available to everyone, but only four out of ten teenagers share their profile with all and sundry.

Search engine stalking is also on the rise: 9% of adults admit to searching for information about someone they're dating, while nearly one in five admit to digging up information on colleagues or business contacts.