According to online security firm ScanSafe, a third of employers are now blocking access to popular social networking sites. This is a 17% increase from last year.
The main reasons for the blocking? Security and productivity concerns, of course. MySpace, YouTube, and Facebook are the most blocked social networking sites, while LinkedIn follows behind.
ScanSafe indicates that Facebook usage increased by 270% during the past year, with 52 million users around the world. Still, MySpace remains the king of the realm with 114 million worldwide users.
“Companies are increasingly concerned about keeping usage in check - not just for security reasons, but for productivity and bandwidth considerations as well,” said Eldar Tuvey, CEO of ScanSafe. “Where there are large numbers of users, there is sure to be malware and other risks, as popular sites attract not just legitimate users but attackers as well.”
Employees affected by the increased blocking of social networking sites at their workplaces are sure to appeal to these sites’ business networking benefits, albeit with a slight simper on their faces. Still, there is something to be said about these suffocated outlets of creativity and all the actual networking that is undeniably happening through these sites.
Do these blocked sites frown when they hear this news? There is good reason to, of course. But they should also see this as a badge of honor. Each company that feels forced to block these sites is, in fact, reluctantly admitting that social networking happening online is alive and well, and it is unlikely that any amount of blocking will alter that anytime soon.
Source:
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2007/09/28/more-companies-blocking-social-networks
Jason Hahn
e: jhahn221@gmail.com
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