What more in the name of love? Facebook warning follows Bono bikini party blunder

UK antivirus software maker Sophos has issued a warning to Facebook members after photos of U2-lead singer Bono partying with two bikini-clad girls were inadvertently made public on the social networking site.

The photos were taken by US student Andrea Feick last month during a holiday to St Tropez. Feick (above right) posted the snaps to her Facebook website, thinking they would remain confidential, as her privacy setting only allowed her registered friends to view her photo albums.

But as Sophos senior technology consultant Graham Cluley helpfully points out to the world on his company blog, joining a geographic-specific Facebook group can over-ride your privacy settings. 19-year-old Feick is a member of the New York network (and, at time of writing, her snaps with 48-year-old Bono are still publically viewable). That meant all one million members of the New York Facebook network could view her south of France hijinx.

Cluley also warns that joining a geographic network opens your Facebook profile to all other members by default, too, again with out alerting you to the change. He advises all Facebook network members to check their photo sharing, profile and other privacy settings, which can be manually reset so they're only viewable by your Facebook friends.

FRENCH CONNECTION: Left to right below: Bono; Feick; Hannah Emerson, a UK friend of Feick's; Simon Carmody, former lead singer of Irish band Golden Horde and a member of the U2 front man's inner circle.