Leaking of Information by Social Networking

After the turmoil generated by the seemingly endless stream of data loss scandals at the end of last year, organisations have become generally more sensitised to the issue of data leakage.

This, combined with a raft of recent surveys around lost productivity due to staff using social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, is also raising awareness that action needs to be taken in this domain.

For example, according to a study undertaken by information security consultancy Global Secure Systems and the organisers of the Infosecurity Europe 2008 exhibition, the use of such sites is costing UK business an estimated £6.5bn per annum in terms of reduced output.

A poll carried out among 776 office workers indicated that most spent at least 30 minutes a day visiting social networking sites, while two were so hooked that they engaged in such activities for as many as three hours each day.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, other research by Computerweekly.com found that some 63% of organisations were planning to monitor or limit staff access to these sites over the next six months, while 17% intended to ban their usage entirely.

Meanwhile, a second survey undertaken by YouGov and commissioned by infrastructure software and services provider, Dimension Data, provided a breakdown of which kinds of personal web sites were being accessed most.


Of the 2,134 employees questioned, some 46% undertook online banking at work, 19% visited social networking sites, 13% indulged in file-sharing, while 10% downloaded media files such as MP3s.

Nonetheless, many organisations are keeping a watching brief on the issue by monitoring internet usage and, if and when the statistics show high levels of activity, tend to take action at that point.