One in four Facebook users ignore security controls

Many Facebook users are still vulnerable

A recent survey suggests that almost a quarter of Facebook users do not do enough to protect their own data on the social networking site.

Some 23 per cent of Facebook users are either unaware of the privacy protections offered by the site, or had chosen to disable them, according to the Social Insecurity survey from Consumer Reports.

The study also found that Facebook users routinely engage in behaviour that leaves their personal data visible to others.

Roughly 42 per cent of respondents admitted to leaving their full date of birth visible to other users, while 26 per cent of adult users had posted photos of their children with descriptions and their full names.

The survey also found that seven per cent of users had posted their full street address, and three per cent had disclosed when they were away from home.

The Consumer Reports study comes as Facebook finds itself the target of further criticism from privacy advocates.

A US senator recently called for the company to change its policies on sharing user information with third parties, and to better educate users on securing their profiles.

And just yesterday, a major security flaw in Facebook allowed users to see other people's personal information.