Ignorance is not bliss on social media

Knowledge of the legal implications of tweets and Facebook messages is “dangerously lacking” in Scotland, a study has found.

A YouGov study found only one in five Scots – 19 per cent – had read the terms and conditions of the social media site they used, and only one in ten knew their legal rights.

Half of Twitter users – 48 per cent – do not think about whether their tweet could be in breach of the law before they send it, the study found.

The poll, on behalf of law firm DLA Piper, asked 2,095 adults about social networks and the law. Seventy per cent said they wanted special legal guidelines brought in, and 39 per cent said they thought people using social media should be held to the same standards as journalists when they publish opinions.

John McKinlay of DLA Pipersaid: “Our research indicates that users’ awareness of the law relating to social media is still dangerously lacking.”