Real risks in an online world

NOW that the party season is starting, a night out might make for fun memories that you can post on Facebook. But beware: too many spirited selfies and your insurance premiums could soar.

Earlier this week Admiral, one of the UK’s biggest insurers, announced that it planned to use customers’ Facebook pages to help analyse the personality traits of car owners and set the price of their car insurance. The outcry was so huge that Facebook forced Admiral to pull the idea. But it illustrates that companies are increasingly interested in using social media to track our behaviour.

This could be the start of companies offering trading discounts if allowed to examine our posts and ‘likes’ online.

Social media offers our friends a window into our lives, but others have their noses pressed against the glass. To Admiral, even your writing style can affect a premium – a love of lists or short clear sentences gets you money off, too many exclamation marks counts against you.

Perhaps you wouldn’t sign up for a company so arbitrary that they believe runon sentences make you more of a risk than someone who adores bullet points. Or maybe you’re intrigued how far this could go!!!

Will people who post pictures of restaurant dinners on Facebook get credited as healthily food-conscious, or penalised as food-obsessed (and boring).

Pics of rich, heavy gourmet meals? Cholesterol risk.

Selfies of a grinning you beside a bored celebrity? Risk of being beaten up by bodyguards.

Wedding photos? Risk of being hit by bouquets.

Happy drinky party snaps? Health/sexual health risk.

What about those folk who are still trying to make ‘Friendiversary’ happen on Facebook or use ‘iconic’ about something that is even slightly well-known? At risk of being pushed off a pavement. By me.