Social (Networking) Security How to Keep your company safe from privacy leaks online

After a prospective subcontracting deal at a major manufacturer was leaked through social media, affecting the stock price of both companies, Roger Traversa, an attorney in corporate compliance and privacy at Arjont Group in Philadelphia, was called in. His firm specializes in advising businesses on privacy risks, and he says the same rules apply to businesses big and small--and in fact, the results of social media outbreaks can be even more dire on the small side.

"For smaller companies, leaks can be make or break," Traversa says. "Losing one competitive advantage or one trade secret can really damage your business."

A recent survey by information security company Websense found that 57 percent of data-stealing attacks come via the web, and that many posts on social media may qualify as proprietary data or violations of health care or credit-card company regulations. Forty-seven percent of survey respondents reported that users in their organizations try to bypass company web security policies.