Press Statement

Preasráiteas

06 December 2021

Go to release: Household Internet Security and Information Integrity 2021

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (06 December 2021) published the first of three publications on the results of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey which was carried out in Quarters 1 and 2, 2021. The detail in this publication is a subset of the broader data collected. There will be two further publications – “Digital Consumer Behaviour” to be published on 10 December and “Internet Access and ICT Usage” to be published on 14 December. The publication today covers internet security and privacy and protection of personal data.

Commenting on the report, Maureen Delamere, Statistician, said: "In 2021, we are online more than ever, working from home and relying on technology and digital services. Our everyday lives are becoming far more digital and we are exposed to a very large amount of information, some of which is true, some of which is clearly untrue and some of which requires further evaluation and investigation. In 2021, more than six in 10 (62%) internet users saw information or content (includes videos, images, etc.) on online news sites or social media (such as on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, etc.)  that they considered doubtful or untrue, of which almost two-thirds (64%) checked the truthfulness of the content. The main way people checked the truthfulness of online content was to check sources and information, with 93% of such persons choosing this method of checking the content integrity. Respondents to the survey could choose more than one option to verify information seen online. Discussing the information offline with other persons or using sources not on the internet was carried out by 47% of internet users, while some 15% cited following or taking part in online discussion regarding the content.

For those who did not check the truthfulness of content they saw online, the most common reason (80%) was that they already knew the information content or source was unreliable.

As our internet usage continues to increase, so too does the amount of personal information and data which is made available online. In 2021, almost six in 10 (59%) internet users restricted access to their geographical location when using online platforms, while nearly six in 10 (58%) internet users refused allowing the use of personal data for advertising purposes. Internet users were less likely, however, to limit access to their profile or content on social networking sites or shared online storage, with just under half (47%) of internet users limiting such access.

Websites that collect personal information require a privacy policy statement, but only 37% of internet users read them before providing personal information online. Similarly, even though everyone has the right to access the digital personal data collected by websites or search engines administrator or providers, just 6% of internet users requested access to their online personal data to update or delete it.”

Looking at the use of cookies, Maureen Delamere, further commented: “Cookies are part and parcel of our everyday internet experience and collect personal information about internet users and track their online activity. While almost three-quarters (74%) of internet users are aware that cookies can track their movements online, only four in 10 (40%) change the settings in their internet browser to prevent or limit cookies, while just 28% of internet users used software to limit the tracking of their movements online.”

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