IT contractors may have a role to play in improving internet and data security in the workplace, after a campaign group warned people to be more careful about what information they share with others online.

This month, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that new guidelines for prosecuting stalkers, including those who target their victims using the internet, have been released.

"On balance this is good news, but there's a potential tension between the need to protect privacy online and the need to keep the internet free from government intrusion," said Alex Deane, director of Big Brother Watch.

"We should all think more about what we share, and with whom, on the internet."

The comments follow the launch of Facebook Places, which allows users to share their current location with others and has raised security concerns, with some worried that it could provide cyber stalkers with a new tool to use.