People In The North West Are The Most Paranoid

A study commissioned by the people search website Yasni has found that more than half of people living in the North West regularly check their online reputation; paranoid that incriminating photos of them on nights out or rude comments will crop up online and put them in the dog house.

A study of 1,723 Brits found that people in the North West are the most paranoid about their online reputation; with more than half admitting they search for themselves online at least once a month, looking for embarrassing photos, comments about them or any other incriminating evidence that others could hold against them.

The study from Yasni.com, the world's leading people search website, found that people in the North West are the most worried about what could crop up online about them, with almost a quarter admitting they need to search for themselves online to prevent getting into trouble with family members or partners regarding photos or comments that could appear on their social networking sites.

In direct contrast, people in the South West appear to be the most laid back about their online reputation with fewer than 15% admitting they search for themselves online on a monthly basis and only 11% confessing that they are concerned about what pictures people may post of them and who may have access to their social networking pages.

Which regions have the most to hide? A list of the most paranoid regions is as follows:

1. North West 53% search for themselves online on a monthly basis
2. Scotland 36%
3. South East 34%
4. Wales 31%
5. North East 27%
6. Midlands 24%
7. N. Ireland 18%
8. South West 14%

Andy Barr, CCO of Yasni.com comments on the findings;

"We always recommend that people regularly check their online reputation, ensuring that information about individuals does not fall into the wrong hands; this could include managers, family members or even strangers. However, it does seem like the majority of people in the North West are more concerned that their partners will see a compromising photo of them than they are concerned with their own safety or job prospects.

"With the on-going developments that the internet has to offer, people need to be more aware of their actions and how transparently we are now living our lives. A night out with a couple of friends in a quiet bar or even in another country can now be displayed all over the internet within minutes, for all to see!"