The digital age in which we now live has provided us with more communication access, access to knowledge at our finger tips, and so much more. As technology penetrates our everyday lives, we face the challenges of the digital age in relation to privacy and protection of our personal data.
This results in us having to be extra careful with security on the internet. Internet security is important to protect our privacy, protect us from fraud, and from viruses that could destroy a piece of our technology.
In the 2021 survey, we asked internet users what measures they took to protect their digital security and privacy.
When accessing websites or apps, we have become familiar with the pop-up to allow access to your location, or when installing apps, to enable access to your location. This is part of the suite of information that websites and apps want to collect to build a digital profile of the user.
In 2021, almost six in ten (59%) internet users restricted access to their geographical location when using online platforms. Six in 10 of both males and females restricted access to their geographical location. See Table 2.1.
Older age groups were less likely to restrict access to their geographical location, with 43% of persons aged 60 to 74 years opting for this measure, compared with almost seven in every ten (69%) of persons in the 30 to 44 years age group. Just 37% of Retired persons restricted access to their geographical location, compared with 65% of persons whose principal economic status was At work. See Table 2.1 and Figure 2.1.
| Security related incident | 16-29 | 30-44 | 45-59 | 60-74 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checked that the website where they provided personal data was secure | 52 | 45 | 51 | 61 |
| Refused allowing the use of personal data for advertising purposes | 42 | 65 | 65 | 46 |
| Limited access to their profile or content on social networking sites or shared online storage | 38 | 60 | 50 | 28 |
| Restricted or refused access to their geographical location | 53 | 69 | 64 | 43 |
| Read privacy policy statements before providing personal information | 35 | 42 | 39 | 29 |
| Asked websites or search engines administrator or provider to access the data they hold to update or delete it | 0 | 9 | 5 | 6 |
At an overall level, nearly six in ten (58%) of internet users refused allowing the use of personal data for advertising purposes. More males than females took this preventative measure - 60% of males compared with 57% of females. See Table 2.1.
Further analysis by age group shows that of persons aged 30 to 59 years, nearly two thirds (65%) did not allow use of their online personal data for advertising purposes. This compares with younger persons, aged between 16 and 29 years, where just over four in ten (42%) self-managed their online profile in this way. Similarly, of internet users aged between 60 and 74 years, just 46% took this provision when going online. See Table 2.1 and Figure 2.1.
Nearly two thirds (65%) of persons whose principal economic status was At work refused access to their personal data for advertising purposes, compared with only 44% of Students. Similarly, 47% of persons whose principal economic status was Unemployed, managed their personal data online in this way. See Table 2.1.
However, only 47% of persons whose principal economic status was At work, checked that the website where they provided personal data was secure, compared with 63% of Students, and 60% of persons whose principal economic status was Unemployed. At an overall level, over half (52%) of internet users took this precaution when going online. See Table 2.1.
As internet usage continues to increase, so does the amount of personal information and data which could be made available online.
Just under 3 in 10 (28%) of Students limited access to their profile or content on social networking sites or shared online storage. Similarly, 38% of persons aged between 16 and 29 years took this provision to manage their personal data online, compared with six out of every ten (60%) internet users in the 30 to 44 years age group. See Table 2.1 and Figure 2.1.
Websites that collect personal information require a privacy policy statement posted to their site and available with their mobile app (if applicable). Many third-party services used to enhance website performance (like payment processing tools, analytics suites and advertising plug-ins) also require you to have a privacy policy.
However, not all internet users read them. In 2021, only 37% of internet users read privacy policy statements before providing personal information online. See Table 2.1.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), under Article 15, gives individuals the right to request a copy of any of their personal data. In respect of digital personal data, everyone has the right to ask websites or search engines administrator or providers to allow access to their personal data. If an individual feels that their personal information is wrong, they are entitled to ask for that information to be corrected. In 2021, just 6% of internet users requested access to their online personal data to update or delete it. See Table 2.1.
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