A growing number of employers are blocking employees’ access to social networking sites as a result of concerns about productivity and privacy, new research suggests.
IT security firm Sophos has found that 50% of workers are being blocked from social networking site Facebook by employers worried about the website’s impact on productivity and security.
The survey also suggests employers may have to tread carefully when considering this type of action, with 8% of workers saying that they are not blocked from Facebook because of fears of an employee backlash.
However many employees share the fears of their employers, with 66% saying they were concerned that their colleagues were sharing too much information, which could lead to identity theft and phishing attacks against the company.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, commented:
“Companies are split on the question of Facebook. Some believe it to be a procrastinator's paradise which can lead to identity theft if users are careless.
“Others either view it as a valuable networking tool for workers or are too nervous of employee backlash if the site is suddenly blocked.”
Many Facebook users have their employment details accessible to anyone, according to Sophos, which could be used together with other stolen information by criminals to commit corporate fraud.
"Companies need to make their own mind up as to whether they want to allow their users to access websites like Facebook and MySpace during office hours,” added Cluley.
“If workers are allowed to be given access to these sites then it's imperative that they are taught best practices to ensure that they are not putting their personal and corporate data at risk.”
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2007
