Part of what has made WikiLeaks so much more effective than traditional hacking efforts, after all, is that whistleblowers with privileged accounts within computer networks are a far more efficient source of embarrassing data than hacking techniques such as random searches of filesharing networks.

FORBES: No Smoking Gun In Hints That WikiLeaks Actively Stole Data

The social smack that keeps us coming back to these sites is the connection to our friends, colleagues, loved ones and the other random folk that sneak into our networks.

FORBES: Path, Google, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Convenient Features That Freak Us Out

Such networks recognise that people want to hobnob with a chosen few, not to be spammed by random friend-requests.

ECONOMIST: Internet companies: Social graph-iti | The