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Youngsters warned of social networks' threats

The UK's national internet security awareness campaign has warned that young people are leaving themselves wide open to exposure to online threats due to the way they conduct themselves online.

GetSafeOnline.org has warned that youngsters, especially students, are often in the dark about how they could cause internet security nightmares for themselves by sharing sensitive details.

According to Tony Neate, the campaign's managing director, the sensitive information left on social networking websites could be used to conduct online fraud.

"Students are on the internet all the time…but they don't necessarily know what the security implications are of that and they give away information," he explained

"People automatically think they've got to fill every box in," he said of the requirements of joining most of the sites, adding that they should not give out their date of birth.

"That's giving additional information that you don't want to give out," he advised.

Such sites include Facebook, MySpace, BeBo and Friends Reunited among others.

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