Of internet users:
Three quarters of those aged 25 to 34 refused to allow use of their personal data for advertising purposes, compared with half of persons aged 65-74.
More than six in ten (61%) restricted access to their geographical location in 2023, while just 43% read privacy policy statements when providing personal information.
Less than four in ten (39%) took preventative action by changing the settings in their internet browser to prevent or limit cookies while nearly three in ten (28%) used software to limit cookies.
Over six in ten (63%) saw online content which they considered untrue or doubtful. Of these, just short of six in ten (58%) checked its integrity by checking sources or information online or by taking part in online/offline discussions on the content.
This publication is the third and final of three publications presenting the results of the annual Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey, which was carried out in the first three quarters of 2023. The first publication, Internet Access and Usage in Ireland 2023, was published on 24 November 2023 and covered household internet access, individuals’ frequency of internet usage. The second publication Household Digital Consumer Behaviour 2023 was published on 12 December 2023 and provided results on individuals’ use of e-commerce including the sharing economy, internet activities, online learning, and ICT skills.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (20 December 2023) published the third and final of three publications presenting the results of the annual Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey. (See Editor’s Note below for more details).
The 2023 ICT Household Survey was carried out in the first three quarters of 2023. The data in this publication relates to the experience of persons who access the internet. This publication today focusses on internet security and privacy and protection of personal data.
Commenting on the results, Maureen Delamere, Statistician in the Social Analysis Division, said: "Our everyday lives are becoming far more digital. The pandemic had resulted in greater use of ICT and the internet, with consequent opportunities for more personal information and data to be available online.
As noted in the first publication, Internet Coverage and Usage in Ireland 2023, at an overall level, more than nine in ten (92%) persons aged 16 years and older used the internet within the previous three months (from when they took part in the survey). Just 1% had used the internet but not recently (not within the previous three months) and only one in fourteen (7%) had never used the internet.
Internet Security and Integrity
In 2023, more than six in ten (61%) internet users restricted access to their geographical location when using online platforms, an increase of two percentage points on 2021, when the survey was last carried out. When online, more people refused to allow the use of their personal data for advertising purposes – 64% in 2023 compared with 58% of internet users in 2021. 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 (48%) of internet users limiting such access.
Websites that collect personal information require a privacy policy statement, but only 43% of internet users read them before providing personal information online.
Use of Cookies and Internet Tracking
Cookies are part and parcel of our everyday internet experience that collect personal information about internet users and track their online activity. Less than four in ten (39%) 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
Further analysis of the data shows that, of persons who bought or ordered goods and/or services online, only 56% checked that the websites were secure when online.”
Looking at the integrity of digital content, Maureen Delamere commented “As our everyday lives are becoming far more digital, 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 2023, more than six in ten (63%) internet users saw information or content (includes videos, images, etc.) on online news sites or social media (such as on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter, etc.) that they considered doubtful or untrue, of which almost six in ten (58%) 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.”