YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Google, Yahoo, MSN – security worries - privacy, MI5, CIA, KGB?

Web 2.0 groups such as Facebook offer huge new opportunities for people to network with others... and could represent a powerful recruiting mechanism for all kinds of antisocial groups, activist networks and extremists of various kinds. Being able to identify friends of friends could make it easier for group leaders to target others who may share similar values (as well as friends) and who might be open to (for example) meeting to discuss things that they would prefer not to talk about online.

Online community sites also offer security services an extraordinarily powerful new tool for inspecting the history of an individual’s social life. In a few year’s time it will be possible for security services to check out for example many of the people an office worker was friendly with while at University a long time before. Experience shows that old friends are often important in an individual’s subsequent development.

Dr Patrick Dixon talks to Chad Hurley, founder YouTube on the meteoric rise of YouTube and implications for online community building. Google Zeitgeist CEO Summit.