Further to my post “Facebook No-Nos” yesterday, it seems like the popular social networking website has been in a lot of hot water lately. For example, if you Google the words “Facebook” and “Security,” you’ll likely get the following results:

• Personal information and family photos of UK’s next head of MI6 foreign intelligence services were obtained via Facebook and published by a daily newspaper.
• Social Security numbers can be easily guessed by cybercriminals for identity theft based on information users provide on Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites, a study found.
• Prospective university students are falling prey to a growing Facebook fraud as marketers set up fake academic groups to vacuum up their personal information and sell it.

As the social networking sites continue to grow, users must be vigilant on what information they share, and whom they share it with.

Many users have been realizing, once they’ve actually reviewed their privacy settings, that they’ve been sharing more information online than they thought they had been. For example, you may have added your boss (or your grandmother) at one point but forgotten about it when you posted your latest drunken bash online.

For professionals who depend largely on their public image, such as lawyers, accountants, or therapists, concerns about sensitive information shared online becomes even graver.

While social networking sites may be helpful in developing visibility and expanding your client base, they can also cause considerable harm if the wrong information gets into the wrong hands. Let the slip of the incoming head of MI6 be an example.

Remember, information wants to be free. Once it’s released into the wild (cyberspace), you have little or no control over where it goes next.