A POPULAR social networking site has been shown to have some serious privacy issues - and this time it's not Facebook.

ChatRoulette pairs random couples from across the globe in webcam conversations, which can be ended as soon as one loses interest and heads off in search of another random conversation.

If that happens to you, consider yourself "nexted".

It was launched in November, and in just six short months, now claims nearly two million users and up to 50,000 people chatting at any one time.

Created by a 17-year-old Russian student Andrey Ternovskiy, ChatRoulette has already created an impressive cast of celebrities and controversy (nudity features heavily and according to one study, one in eight spins features something R-rated or worse).

But while its creators have taken some steps to stamp out offensive content, user privacy is now being questioned.

The site claims to keep its users anonymous, but one website - www.chatroulettemap.com - has found a way to capture users' IP address.

Chatroulettemap doesn't post that IP address on a map - anymore - but it will post your pic and a good enough idea of your location for you to be recognised.

If you want your image removed from Chatroulettemap, you have to email them the request along with a photo that matches that on the site.

Does Chatroulette care that its users are being recorded? Not according to Chatroulettemap, which claims Ternovskiy has contacted them and "finds the site enjoyable".

The map is updated when Chatroulettemap decides the numbers are worth it.

Just what Chatroulettemap plans to do with all the information it is collecting is anyone's guess, but at least one post in its FAQ section point to it using images in the future for a "rate-my-image" purpose.