Social media is certainly getting a grip on the country reckons this SEO consultancy, so much so, that the volunteers at this year’s summer Olympics in London are being asked to avoid making too many Facebook posts, or Tweets.
What worries the authorities is that information posted on social media platforms could represent a major security risk and could give terrorists a bonanza of information that has to be denied them. What’s more, the authorities want to avoid the game’s helpers being inadvertently involved in any information on individuals, or teams, that could embarrass the event, or organisers.
In the same way that identity thieves take snippets of information and put together a profile of a person which can then be of use for nefarious means, including bogus credit and loan applications, the authorities are worried that if a volunteer gives too much information away about confidential arrangements at the Olympics, then this can be exploited by certain groups and individuals.
Some 70,000 special volunteers will help with the running of the world’s greatest sporting event and they have to agree to rules which include a ban on describing their role, their whereabouts at the various stadiums, or any news about dignitaries, celebrities, or participants; or, the posting of any pictures, or text on backstage VIPs.
It is not uncommon for authorities to try and control the flow of information to the social media platforms, as such unchecked communications can prove a PR nightmare, but in this case of the Olympics, there is a very real security issue as well.