Surfers share too much information

Many of us are careless about what information we share online and who we share it with, according to research from Tiscali.

The ISP’s survey revealed that many respondents held contradictory views on subjects such as revealing private information on social-networking sites.

Alarmingly, five per cent of surfers publish their home address and a further 21 per cent post details about their holiday which could leave their door wide open for theft.

Some are publishing these details fully aware of what they are doing, but others seem to be oblivious to how much of their private information is available to others without their knowledge, Tiscali said.

Neal McCleave, managing director of media services at Tiscali UK said: "We think that our research is a warning to people who are not cautious about what they share and with who on social-networking sites.

"Social media however is a fantastic social development and we don’t want to be killjoys. Over half of people have a limited or private profile and a quarter of people have 10 or fewer friends while 55 per cent have fewer than 50," McCleave continued.

The survey also found that 62 per cent of people believe that aerial and street-view pictures of their home, similar to those offered by Google Street View, present a risk to their security.