Internet users keeping personal details secret

INTERNET users have become more wary about revealing their personal information on social networking websites, a study has revealed.

Ofcom's Media Literacy report revealed 80 per cent of the 1,824 people it polled restrict their online profiles on sites such as Facebook and MySpace to friends and family. This compared with 48 per cent in 2007.

But the picture across Britain was inconsistent, with Scottish internet users the most relaxed about online security. Half of those polled in Scotland said they were comfortable entering their addresses online and 44 per cent were happy to give credit card details.

The survey comes at a time when social networking sites are facing increasing scrutiny over security. This month, Facebook was forced to take its chat system offline after a technology blogger discovered a way to spy on his friends' personal information. Facebook's engineers fixed the bug.

The Ofcom survey also found the number of people willing to provide their e-mail addresses online has declined in the past three years, to 44 per cent from 49 per cent.