British Facebook users beware after a survey revealed that three quarters (76 percent) of tagged photos on the social networking Website were taken while under the influence of alcohol.

The sobering statistic comes courtesy of photo sharing Website MyMemory whose survey of 1,781 British Facebook users aged 18 and over found that eight percent of these photos could get users “in serious trouble”, presumably with work management.

More than half of Brits (56 percent) admit to photos where they are completely drunk.

Online Portrayal

Perhaps an even more alarming statistic is about tagged photos and “friend” access to embarrassing pictures about us. Two thirds of respondents (65 percent) admitted to having purposely “tagged” someone in a photo in order to embarrass them. This is a somewhat alarming detail in the post-Christmas party season.

So now may be a good time to review your Facebook privacy settings, as the default setting on Facebook is to allow your friends to ‘tag’ you in a photo. Depending on your own privacy settings, various groups of people can automatically see these photos, including co-workers, family and friends.

The poll revealed that only 12 percent of Brits had adjusted their Facebook settings so only they could see their photos. 58 percent said that their settings allowed “friends only” to view tagged photos of themselves, but 26 percent admitted that their settings allowed anyone to see their tagged photos.

This casual attitude towards online portrayal is reflected in the survey finding that 93 percent of Brit admitted they had to remove tagged pictures of themselves from their profile because they were too embarrassing.

Work Dangers

The survey highlights the increasing issue of Facebook’s potential use by employers.

In December, 2011, for example, a British worker in an Apple store in Norwich was fired after he posted a series of rants about the iPhone and Apple itself.

Also in 2011 a survey found that nearly half of British businesses had formally banned access to social networks in the workplace because they feared damage to their reputation as a result of derogatory comments.

Tom Jowitt

Tom Jowitt is a leading British tech freelancer and long standing contributor to Silicon UK. He is also a bit of a Lord of the Rings nut...

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  • Something needs to be done about face book it causes alot of problems, I know that people at work have said things about their work colleagues and it is now banned at work. I have had my niece leaving remarks because I no longer talk to my mother, who is a trouble maker, her remarks were clearly my mothers remarks. She then took my daughter off her friends list because of this, my daughter had nothing to do with this. It seems to be a site where people can be hurtfull to others. Its should be banned

    • Facebook does indeed have lots to answer for in terms of causing upset and anger. Many instances I have known of this has again been fuelled by intoxication both with regard to posters as well as readers of what snowballed out of what got facebooked into in a couple of instances broken or impaired friendships. I am no longer a member of the Facebook Community as of September last year when the Airline I am currently training personnel with googled me to find that I had a Facebook Profile active. Upon being reminded that maintaining Facebooks, MySpaces and the like breaks the code of conduct for a number of actually very good however protective reasons that this is so my reaction had to be instant. However I say good riddance to bad rubbish on reflection five months later!

      • Facebook is the most overated and unsafe website i know, i had an account for 12 months and was hacked at least 12 times,even though i had allsorts of fb security settings it is an intrusion of millions of peoples data and is being used by criminals to access bank details and id theft .it should be scrapped as it sucks ass and some people are abused so bad that they are afraid. so people its not what facebook is oing for us its wot we are doing for facebook ,good riddance too bad rubbish.

      • I totally agree with the comments that say FB is dangerous.
        In America it is one of the most cited use of reason for bust ups in divorce, as afairs are carried on online etc.
        A close relative of mine started a relationship on fb which went on for 5 years before his wife found out, eventually they divorced. It rocked our family. This is NOT unique. People re-ignite old romanices online thinking that they can get back to the good old days rather than being satisfied with what they have at home.
        Kids bitch about each other. Photos get published which should never have been taken.
        Facebook? Bitchbook. Dump it.

    • Don't be ridiculous, fb is just a website - it can't be held responsible for the actions of those who use it! We are the adults here, if you don't like it, don't join!

    • To say facebook is to blame is simply ignorance. If you use something improperly, then you are likely to get unwanted results. And regarding people having marital problems over facebook, you are blaming a website for a dysfunctional relationship. It doesnt work like that. If you are retarded enough to let a website dictate how your life pans out then you need to take a look at yourself not ban the website. It saddens me that people are so prepared to blame other things (particularly a website of all things, which is simply a networking tool, the users are the problem) for their own deficiencies. Man up you precious little princesses. It's YOU, not facebook. And 'alan', if you have friends who move a long way away you can keep in touch and see what they are up to... I assume you have no friends. I also use it to promote my band, acquire gigs, find old friends from school, communicate for free when using my mobile is not convenient like when on holiday... the list goes on... I do not request that anyone 'looks at me', unless I am striking a particularly awesome bass pose on stage... then maybe I am requesting that people 'lolok at me'. That is all.

      • I can't see the reason why facebook is blamed for everything bad in this world. Facebook is just a too; for the masses to use, If some of those masses choose to misuse it and be foolish in their use then that is their fault. Facebook can be a great way to keep in touch with those people you do not see very often, ok years back there was no facebook or other technology to keep in touch in such a way but letters and telephones we managed. The problem now is the technolicgical age has taken over, my children know no different. I lost touch with a good friend because she moved and I moved the same time, through facebook we are now in touch. I have now managed to find old school friends and regularly communicate with family, my chidren now young adults do use facebook as do all of their friends but they also have nights out with them too and they share with their friends away in other parts of the county photos. they are not drunks or regular drinkers, they are young people who like a night out now and then as do all youngsters, I can honestly say back in the 1980's a lot of our photos, mine and my friends were taken when drunk. we didn't have facebook then but after reading this article we all agreed had we have had such technology we would have used it in the same way, to share photos. The one critisism I have of facebook is the security, when you have an updated version it changes the settings to public and anyone can see your profile, I didn't realise this until a friend posted to change security settings if you had the new version as she discovered an unwanted person was trying to be friends. You can close your profile to all but friends but it takes a while to figure this out sometimes.

    • Having a dysfunctional family does not mean that facebook should be banned, it means that your family dont get on. Take yourselves off it until you have learned how to use it properly. Nobody has to receive messages they dont want, if they dont take preventative measures then they will not reap the benefits of said measures. Stop being so ignorant and take responsibility for a change

    • @Pauline Holbrook

      Nice kneejerk comment there, Pauline. How about we ban knives because they can be used for murder or ban schools because they harbour bullies?

      Great idea. Pull out the old ban card.

      "Oh dear lord, someone was nasty to me, I'm absolutely outraged. Ban everything even remotely related to it before it happens again"

      Typical chav brit.

    • Facebook is not to blame for any of that. The people using it are. Stop blaming websites for your friends'/family's inability to control themselves.

  • Are these comments for real? Not sure if the posters are being satirical or stupid. Whose code of conduct does it break by having a page on a social networking site? Really it is quite terrifying that Mike Hunt is training personnel for an airline.

    Ah, perhaps the same sozzled Brits from the photographs are leaving the comments? Yes, that has to be it.....

  • Jo, I believe the comments are genuine, but suspect some may be under pseudonyms... just putting it out there.

    Peter

  • i do not use any of those site,s as i really cant think why people would read or send such mind numbing drivel, from what i have learnt about them, they seriously upset a lot of apple carts, the people who do use them must have very simple lives, and i believe that they are doing nothing than asking people to "look at me", just like a child asking mum to "look at me" basically attention seeking, that is all, very sad

    • Seriously? I bet people writing here must be about 60, and computer illiterate.

      I use facebook as a business tool, and in order to stay in touch with my friends and family around the world, it makes my life easier.

      I have NEVER had any problems with it, WHY? because I don't cause any problems, because I don't bully people online, because I don't get wasted in alcohol, and because I love my wife and I would never cheat on her.

      Facebook does not cause broken marriages: Unfaithful people do.

      Facebook does not cause people to get fired: Inappropriate behavior does.

      Facebook does not cause bullying: Bullies do.

      If you don't know how to use a computer, or how to behave in society, I suggest you learn, or stay in a cave, but don't call people that use it "Attention seekers" and don't call for "a ban on social networks" because of your own flaws.

      TL;DR: Don't be a moron

  • 76% pissed up Brits? Shame Shame Shame indeed. That 24% of my county men (and lovely ladies o' course) are still sober in these drab and dire times is a disgrace. Have you no sense of history? No sense of pride in our national drunken culture? Drunk or nasty sober money grabbing capitalist, which one are you, that's the sole two options in the UK nowadays it seems, and on Facebook at least we're winning'

    Gin Lane forever!

  • To all those who post first. I'm slightly confused and maybe you could clarify something for me.

    Facebook is a platform that people capitalise to share information. However, it is the individuals responsibility for wanting to share that info and how to go about to share that info. So in that sense we have a responsibility to ensure we use it maturely and safe.

    So if your account is being hacked maybe that says that your actually not logging out properly when you access it on public computers and the passwords you choose are not secure enough.

    And....

    If you relatives are using it to do spiteful things, then maybe that says that they are immature enough to use a platform in that way.

    Both of these people have used their responsibility ill advised and by blaming a 'platform' devoid themselves of any responsibility.

    Its like me saying its food's fault that I'm overweight rather than my choice to eat food and not go down to the gym.

    Which is a metaphor. Look up the word metaphor in the dictionary.

  • Is it just me or are people using the same argument as to why fb is bad/dangerous/to blame as they tried with music and the emo's?

    Some people really need to grow up and stop with their blind ignorance, arrogance and sense of being outraged and angry for the sake of being outraged and angry.

    If people want to pointlessly lay blame on a social networking site for causing affairs, breakups, devorce and even spreading of sexually transmitted infections, try turning your attention to 'fuckbook' 'benaughty' 'sex in the uk' and any other number of adult sex social networking sites that are but a google search away.

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