A British study has revealed how vulnerable young internet users are to fraud and identity theft. Photo / Marty Melville

A British study has revealed how vulnerable young internet users are to fraud and identity theft. Photo / Marty Melville


Millions of young people have made themselves vulnerable to identity theft as well as putting their future academic and professional prospects at risk by recklessly posting personal information on the internet, Britain's privacy watchdog warns in a report published today.

The report's findings will add to increasing fears about the unchecked growth of personal information held in Britain and the way it is protected after a security blunder at HM Revenue & Customs in which highly sensitive details belonging to 25 million people were lost in the post.

Now, in a far-reaching study of the internet behaviour of young people, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) says that 4.5 million web users aged between 14 and 21 could be vulnerable to identity fraud because of the carefree way they give up information on the internet, especially when visiting social networking sites.

A similar number are damaging their future education and employment prospects by leaving an "electronic footprint" which could compromise their chances of winning places at colleges and companies.

David Smith, deputy commissioner for the ICO, said: "Many young people are posting content online without thinking about the electronic footprint they leave behind.

"The cost to a person's future can be very high if something undesirable is found by the increasing number of education institutions and employers using the internet as a tool to vet potential students or employees."

The research also found that a third of young people have never read privacy policies on social networking sites and do not understand how they can manage their personal information.

Yet an overwhelming 95 per cent of those questioned said they were worried about websites using their details to target advertising at them or to pass on to other websites or companies.

Some social networking sites have already begun using information from their members to link up with major companies and well-known brands.

Facebook is facing a privacy backlash from its members, who have complained about a new advertising strategy that automatically broadcasts what a user has bought on external partner sites to their family and friends.

Mr Smith said of the ICO report: "This shows that when young people are made aware that their details could be being passed between parties - legitimate or unscrupulous - they are worried.