Only half of UK businesses realise they carry legal liability for social media content
A survey has found that while of 76% of UK respondents say they regard social media communications as formal business records, only 54% realise that the business holds legal liability for what is said.
The research, from information management company Iron Mountain, found that 33% of those questioned described their management of social media as ‘chaotic’ and ‘unmanaged’.
Christian Toon, head of information security at Iron Mountain Europe, said: “Social media is troubling organisations much as email did a decade or so ago. It’s new, it generates huge volumes of unstructured data, and that makes it hard to control. The immediacy and informality of social media increase the potential risks of data breaches and information exposure, so it is not surprising that many companies feel threatened.
“However, social media also offers a wealth of possibilities in terms of customer engagement and market awareness. No business today can really afford to ignore it. Social media is the tool that a new generation of workers will expect to work with.”
Despite Toon’s comments, it was found that 74% said that social media use was banned in their workplace.