CONSUMER TIP FROM CONSUMER REPORTS

Social networking sites
The risk. More than half a billion people have joined social networks
like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, Digg, and Bebo. The more personal infor-
mation you post, the wider you open your life to strangers. Many of the sites allow you to control
who can access your profile and how much they can see. Unfortunately, some sites
have default settings that tend to reveal a lot, and 70 percent to 80 percent of users
keep them, says Craig Wills, a computer science professor at Worcester Polytechnic
Institute in Massachusetts. Scam artists can use the seemingly innocuous information in your profile to get more valuable data that can help them steal
your identity. For example, from your date and state of birth, an identity thief with ex-
pertise in statistics might be able to figure out your Social Security number within a
hackable range, according to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
The American Civil Liberties Union warns people that Facebook allows anyone
with an account to create member surveys that, if you respond to them, give the
sender access to information in your profile as well as information about the people
on your list of friends.
 The protection. If you use these sites, don't reveal too much about yourself.
Your date of birth may be of interest to ID thieves, photos and information about
your children may attract pedophiles or kidnappers, and your address and travel
plans may alert burglars. Even if you don't respond to a quiz, your information can
be exposed if someone on your friend list takes one. Use the account settings or pri-
vacy controls to restrict access to just your known circle of friends.