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Online privacy 'a major concern for web users'
Monday 23rd February 2009, by Daniel King
More than 80 per cent of internet users are concerned about their privacy when surfing the web, research has revealed.
According to a survey by advertising firm Burst Media, online security is a major consideration for broadband customers, particularly among older users.
While only 67.3 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds polled expressed their concern about the privacy of personal information such as age, gender and web surfing habits, more than 85 per cent of those over the age of 55 said they were worried.
The study, which garnered information from more than 4,000 internet users, also found that most web users believe their online activity is regularly tracked by websites and advertisers.
Vice-president of marketing for Burst Media Chuck Moran said online privacy is clearly a major concern for the majority of web surfers, meaning advertisers and social network sites must be more open about security.
"As recently seen in the news flare up regarding Facebook's privacy controversy, publishers need to be completely transparent about their privacy policies," he claimed.
He added that online advertisers must also take "concrete actions" to reassure web users and alleviate privacy concerns in order to get their message across.
This comes after internet security company Sophos issued a reminder warning people to think twice before entering sensitive information such as banking usernames and passwords when using computers in places such as hotels or internet cafes.
The firm's senior technology consultant Graham Cluley claimed that users "cannot be confident" as to the security of machines that are open to the public and could be putting themselves at risk of online fraud.
Categories: Broadband, Internet Security
