Can Facebook posts affect job prospects?

A new survey has revealed that almost half of students are worried that personal details they have shared on social networking sites, such as Facebook, as well as elsewhere online, might affect their future career prospects. The survey, carried out by YouGov for the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), found that four out of 10 students (42 per cent) are concerned that Facebook postings could come back to haunt them in later life. It also revealed that many students are not adequately protecting themselves against the risk of identity theft. The researchers found that a third of students who have lived at several addresses while at university still have not arranged the redirection of their most important post to their current university address. Two thirds of students have never checked their credit rating, allowing suspicious credit applications to go unnoticed. "In tough times, young people are clearly less relaxed about privacy, particularly in relation to information that they post online - but many may not know what they can do about it," the Telegraph quoted Christopher Graham, the information commissioner, as saying. The ICO study has been released to coincide with the launch of its new 'Student Brand Ambassador' campaign - a nationwide project aimed at raising young people's awareness of information rights.