Social media is a great way to keep in touch with friends and
family, network and meet new people, share private information
and/or promote your business. BUT do you really know what
happens to your information once you have put it in the public
domain? And, if you are using personal social media accounts for
business purposes: did you know that the Data Protection Act 1998
(the DPA) applies?
Penny Bygrave, specialist in data protection law at BDB,
stresses that the most important things to always bear in mind when
using social media or otherwise posting personal information
online:
- Nothing is completely private and nothing is ever
permanently deleted: every compromising photo or cheeky
comment you post, including posts in private chatrooms can (and, be
sure, will) be viewed by anyone, anywhere, at any time –
usually by the peple you would least want to see it.
This means your parents, grandparents and (present or future)
children; your peers – friend or
