Facebook information should be regulated, survey says http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jun/05/privacy.socialnetworking · Nine out of 10 say rules should govern social sites · Press watchdog could expand internet remit * Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent * The Guardian, * Thursday June 5 2008 * Article history Nine out of 10 people think there should be tighter regulation of information on social networking websites, according to new research. A survey found that most Britons believe sites such as Facebook and MySpace should be covered by rules that would help ordinary people complain about intrusive material posted online. Currently each of the major social networking sites operates under its own set of terms and conditions. However, 89% of those surveyed by the Press Complaints Commission said there should be a set of widely accepted rules to help prevent personal information - such as private photographs - being abused. Sir Christopher Meyer, the chairman of the PCC, said there was an "unprecedented scale" of information being put on to social networks, and suggested members of the public needed help to deal with problems that arise as a result. "There is a need for public awareness about what can happen to information once it is voluntarily put into the public domain," he said. Although just 8% of those surveyed said they had been embarrassed by information about them published on a social network, many more were more concerned about the implications: 78% said they would change the information they put online if they thought it would be reproduced by mainstream media. The potential for abuse of private information online has become an increasing concern, not only among those worried about criminal activity, but also because such data is increasingly used by the media. Last year, in the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting spree which left 33 dead, a number of media organisations were criticised for "digital doorstepping" of victims and their families using Facebook. Spokesmen for the major social networks did not respond to requests for comment yesterday, but in the past they have rejected the idea that they should police their sites beyond the boundaries already covered by the law. The survey comes as the PCC seeks to expand its role as the lines between different forms of media continue to blur. The organisation already oversees internet and video content produced by newspaper organisations, though the commission's director, Tim Toulmin, has stated that he is not in favour of internet regulation. Suggestions that the PCC would be the best body to oversee a social networking code of conduct are likely to cause controversy, particularly since it has been accused of caving in to the interests of the newspaper industry. It recently came in for criticism for retaining Daily Express editor Peter Hill as a board member, despite his newspaper being forced to pay £560,000 to the family of Madeleine McCann over a series of false allegations. Hill finally left the commission in May. Some experts suggested it would prove beneficial to bring some form of light self-regulation to the internet, but questioned whether there was a real consensus on what "intrusive" really meant. "If you take pictures and put them on Facebook, you've deliberately surrendered your privacy," said Charlie Beckett, the director of Polis, a journalism thinktank at the London School of Economics. The survey, conducted by Ipsos Mori, was compiled from the answers of 1,000 British people aged 16 to 64. About this article Close This article appeared in the Guardian on Thursday June 05 2008 on p11 of the UK news section. It was last updated at 07:27 on June 05 2008.