The Growing Trend of Social Networking Websites and the Continued Importance to Due Diligence Inquiries

Increasingly, employers and potential investors in a company are able to learn information about job applicants and individuals affiliated with a company through various online social networking websites. According to Pew Internet & American Life Project’s December 2008 tracking survey, 35 percent of all adult Internet users have a profile on a social networking website. Some of these websites, including Facebook and MySpace, have a more personal purpose, serving as a forum in which users share photos, comments, and personal information.