Industry news

Business secrets 'leaked' via mobile phones

Business people are taking risks by divulging confidential information and corporate affairs in public, according to new research by a leading mobile phone company.

Despite the fact that communications technology has improved enough to allow them to be discreet, research by Vodaphone UK has found that people use their mobiles to discuss everything from corporate strategies to inter-office politics – while a competitor could be sitting behind them listening in.

Samantha Botting, a senior consultant at the company, said that the use of emails, texting and personal messaging would be a more sensible way to communicate discreetly while on the move.

"You wouldn't sit in your office and tell a stranger personal details that you wouldn't want them to know, so there's no reason to do that while you're on the mobile," she added.

"A lot of people think they're in their own little bubble when they're on the mobile, but they should still take the same precautions, or switch to alternative means of communicating."

The study revealed that 70 per cent of people use their mobile phones to talk about business when they travel, but only six per cent use codenames for things that are deemed confidential company secrets.