Great Britain (ip-192.com): 38 percent of people using social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter post details about holiday plans and 33 percent details of a weekend away, according to a survey of 2,092 social media users by British-based Legal & General Group PLC. The insurance company warns that not only friends but potential burglars read the messages.
"Coupled with the finding that an alarmingly high proportion of users are prepared to be 'friends' online with people they don't really know, this presents a serious risk to the security of people's home and contents," according to the insurer.
In the report called "The Digital Criminal," the insurer said people used social media sites to connect with people who were essentially strangers, which could provide potential thieves with vital, personal information.
To test how readily people accepted 'friends' online, Legal & General's survey, conducted by European market researcher Opinion Matters, involved sending out 100 'friend' or 'follow' requests to strangers selected at random. Of those, 13 percent were accepted on Facebook and 92 percent on Twitter without any further checks.
But despite these new 'friends,' the survey found that nearly 64 percent of 16-24 year olds shared their holiday plans, with younger users the most likely to give away information about their whereabouts.
Men were found to be quite relaxed about giving personal information online, with 13 percent including their mobile number on their profile compared with 7 percent of women. Nine percent of men also posted their address compared to 4 percent of women.
"This reaction could result in a complete stranger potentially being able to learn about a person's interests, location and movements in and out of their home," according to the insurance company.
[...] with people who are essentially strangers to collect vital personal information (ip-192 reported here). A survey conducted by the insurance company found that 64 percent of 16 to 24 year olds freely [...]