Social sites are costing business time and money

Thursday 3rd April 2008, 2:30PM BST.

WORKERS using social-networking sites could be putting their employers at risk by sharing confidential information, according to an IT boss.

Itex managing director Richard Parker said organisations needed to protect themselves from sites such as MySpace, Facebook (pictured) and Bebo.

A survey by technology and market researcher Forrester has found that 78% of companies were concerned about the risk of unsanctioned use of such sites. ‘Like any technology, there is always risk involved and businesses need to protect themselves,’ said Mr Parker. ‘If they don’t have adequate policies, they are open to abuse that could be costly.’