Emotions Are Mixed for Using Social Networking Sites At Work
Well, if you look at the results of my very unscientific poll from last week, it appears there is a very wide range of opinions about the use of social networking sites at work.
To jog your memory, the question was: "Has your organization ever fired someone for using social networking sites while at work?"
And the results:
* 11%: Yes, and I agree they should have
* 0%: Yes, but I think it was wrong
* 22%: No, but I think there are some people who should have been
* 33%: No, and I don't think employees should ever be fired for using these sites
* 33%: I don't know
I don't think many organizations are actually addressing this issue yet. However, the risks need to be considered now by those responsible for information security and privacy; there seem to be more every day.
"'Storm' Trojan horse taps into YouTube fever: Hackers have changed their tactics again"
"Storm, a.k.a. Peacomm and Nuwar, is now spreading via e-mail that includes a link that appears to be to a YouTube video, said Johannes Ullrich, chief research officer at the SANS Institute, on the Internet Storm Center's blog this weekend. "The link looks like a link to YouTube, but actually points to a 'numeric' URL like old Storm variants," said Ullrich."
Yes, this is a form of phishing exploit. However, if going to YouTube is permitted within your organization, it is likely many of the folks on your network will click on the link. Another good topic for some awareness communications.
"Facebook Gets Personal With Ad Targeting Plan"
"Next year, Facebook hopes to expand on the service, one person says, using algorithms to learn how receptive a person might be to an ad based on readily available information about activities and interests of not just a user but also his friends -- even if the user hasn't explicitly expressed interest in a given topic. Facebook could then target ads accordingly."
Exploring the privacy issues alone could fill a book. Not to mention all the data leaking from your corporate network onto these sites...imagine your customers' personally identifiable information (PII) being unknowingly used to inundate them with ads...or worse.
I believe companies *CAN* allow their network users access to social networking sites, but first they must *LAY THE GROUNDWORK*! Establish policies, implement defenses, and very importantly provide training and ongoing awareness about the associated threats.
Email This!
Digg it!
Sphere it!
Del.icio.us
Reddit!
Newsvine
Comments
The question becomes even more complicated when you consider that some companies are using social networking as part of their marketing strategy. I'd be curious to hear your perspective on this; do you feel that the risks of using social networks (even legitimate business sites like LinkedIn/BizNik/Zoodango) outweigh the possible benefit of establishing connections, etc.?
Posted by: mila | August 29, 2007 1:21 PM
Mila, good point about the marketing aspects of how social networking sites are evolving.
I don't think the risks are too great to use these kinds of sites. In fact, they can be great fun, in addition to having great business and professional benefit, as you point out for LinkedIn and others.
The problem is that most social network users do not understand the risks, or they choose to ignore them. Most businesses haven't addressed the risks by establishing polices, procedures and technologies to protect against the risks.
It's like they're jumping in a car and taking off without first learning how to drive; they're very likely going to have an accident before getting too far down the road.
Posted by: Rebecca | September 1, 2007 11:35 AM