[29.02.2008 first posted on silicon republic]
Irish users of social networking sites are leaving behind a trail of identity clues that could make them vulnerable to identity theft, according to a new report.

A survey of 300 Irish users of social networking sites by internet consultancy Amas in its State of the Net report for the Irish Internet Association found users are more likely to leave their full names on Facebook than on Bebo or MySpace.
All 100 sample profiles on Facebook revealed full names, compared with 80pc of profiles viewed on Bebo and 13pc on MySpace.
“Combined with other clues, such as location, age, school or workplace, this data can be used to identify individuals and give more information about users than they would typically give to complete strangers,” said Aileen O’Toole, managing director of Amas.
However, the survey also found users show some degree of care in not revealing telephone, email or physical addresses.
Among the 300 profiles reviewed, 10 gave their email address, two Bebo users posted their full addresses, some 62 Facebook users gave their full date of birth and nine MySpace users revealed their salary.
The Amas study also found that 98pc of Bebo users, 83pc of Facebook users and 80pc of MySpace users post their actual photographs online.
“A significant minority of users are apparently oblivious to the fact that their pages could be accessed by employers or potential employers,” said Fiachra Ó Marcaigh, director and senior consultant at Amas.
“Four users wrote about taking drugs, while 11 Bebo users detailed their drinking habits, as did six on both Facebook and MySpace. Others revealed racist and homophobic attitudes,” O’Marcaigh added.
By John Kennedy