By Rob O'Brien

Regulation of social media may be a necessary evil as organisations risk divulging sensitive information on the web, according to IT analysts Ovum.

The use of social media by organisations when engaging with the public should be regulated to protect sensitive information from being divulged by blundering staff.

More and more public and private sector organisations have begun to respond to customer queries and complaints via tools such as Twitter and Facebook.

But according to Ovum, the independent telecoms analyst, regulations need to be put in place to ensure that information is used appropriately. Peer to peer support conducted via social media should be monitored, to ensure that customers do not unintentionally pass on incorrect information.

“The financial services industry has already made it a requirement that communications through social media are recorded and retained,” said Ovum analyst Aphrodite Brinsmead.

“We think this needs to go a step further and that all organisations using social media to interact with customers should be regulated."

While social media should still allow customers to interact and express themselves, Ms Brinsmead said that organisations should protect themselves from staff who may not understand how to treat enquiries made through sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

As well as regulation, Ms Brinsmead said that organisations should stop experimenting with social media and start putting in place formal strategies.

“Customers enjoy the fast response rates and good service that social media allows and more and more enquiries will be made this way. However, every organisation should have a strategy and guidelines in place so staff understand how to treat them.”