Facebook spies

Updated on: 20 April,2009 08:06 AM IST |
Agencies |

Detectives are keeping tab on conversations on social networking sites on behalf of companies

Facebook spies

Detectives are keeping tab on conversations on social networking sites on behalf of companies

Last year, three Californian teensu00a0 were fired from their KFC jobs for publishing their photos on MySpace bathing in a KFC basin.

SR7 specialises in "online risk and reputation management", which actively monitors social networking sites on behalf of companies.

It was formed about eight months ago in response to the growing trend for people to take conversations they would have traditionally had with mates at the pub on to their social network profiles.

Few people realise these seemingly private sites are still public spaces. SR7 director James Griffin said business was booming following recent public relations disasters sparked by the stupid social network behaviour of a few employees. The firm's clients included "a number of blue-chip companies" and "government departments and agencies".

David Vaile, executive director of Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre at University of New South Wales said he suspected companies were using dirt gathered from social networking sites as an excuse to fire people. He said the practice could backfire when the economy turns around as people would refuse to trust companies that spied on staff.

"It's not that the person pretending to be a spokesperson for the company, they're just letting off steam, everyone does it, you hear it in the pub maybe employers have just got to handle it."

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