What are the implications for personal data now that social networking site Bebo is to close?
Bebo was the king of social networking but it has been overtaken by Facebook and Twitter. The news that Bebo is to close has raised fears among Irish users of the social network about what will happen to their data.
Users fear the company may sell their data. According to digital media expert Damien Mulley, Bebo own all data as set out in their terms and conditions of use.
Approximately one million Irish people are members of a social network. As members, many have unwittingly signed away their rights. Media lawyer Paula Mullooly says that people should read the privacy policies of social networks before signing up. She suspects that the majority of people do not and warns,
If you wouldn't want to see it on the front page of the newspaper, don't put it on the internet.
The Irish Data Commissioner is to write to Bebo to find out what will happen to the data they have collected on their users. The advice to users who are worried about this is to delete their profiles.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 14 April 2010. The reporter is Sandra Hurley.
