Four-in-five people have tried to remove private information from websites or social media

Woburn, MA – April 29, 2020 – New Kaspersky research has found that consumers around the world are becoming more interested in protecting and maintaining control over their personal privacy. The company’s latest report, Defending digital privacy: taking personal protection to the next level, found that consumers are becoming more aware of where their personal data is available online. In fact, 82% say they have tried to remove private information from websites or social media channels. However, more than a third (37%) have no idea how to go about it.

The report features data from a survey carried out in 23 countries. It examines current consumer attitudes towards online privacy and the steps people are taking to keep private information from falling into the wrong hands.

It is not just people’s private information that they are worried about, but their loved ones’ too. The report finds that 24% of consumers claim that their personal data or information about their family has become publicly available without their consent.

Such occurrences are pushing consumers into making conscious choices about how and where their personal data is stored. A significant proportion of people apply additional measures when browsing the internet. Forty-three percent say they are doing so in order to hide their information from cybercriminals, while 41% want to hide it from the websites they visit, and 37% want to hide it from other individuals accessing the same device.

Chart 1: Who are consumers keeping their browsing secrets safe from?

Some consumers remain wary about storing personal information on their devices. Twenty-one percent say they are specifically concerned about personal data being collected by the apps they use on their mobile devices.

“There are many ways to control your digital footprint,” said Marina Titova, Head of Consumer Product Marketing at Kaspersky. “One of them is to bear in mind who you share personal data with and understand how it may be used. Anything that is placed on the internet may remain accessible to a wide range of people for a long time unless you take specific action to protect it. Understanding how to safely keep personal details on the internet and efficiently manage where your data is stored is a step towards ensuring a positive online presence, improving your personal reputation and opening up future opportunities.”

In order for consumers to better protect their data privacy, they often need guidance on how to do so effectively.

“The annual ‘Global Privacy Research’ carried out by Kaspersky offers useful tools to better understand the level of awareness and the overall perception internet users have on exercising their right to privacy and personal data protection,” said Patrick Penninckx, Head of Department, Information Society, Council of Europe. “Convention 108+ recommends promoting more widespread and meaningful use of data protection impact assessments, the application of the privacy by design principle and a proactive attitude towards data security requirements.”

To make sure your personal information remains protected on the internet, Kaspersky advises consumers to:

• Keep a list of your online accounts so you have a full understanding of which services and websites may be storing your personal information
• Start using “Privacy Checker” to help make your social media profiles more private. It will make it harder for third parties to find highly personal information
• To identify potentially dangerous or questionable requests made by an app, and understand the risks associated with different types of common permissions, install Kaspersky Security Cloud. The product also incorporates a Do Not Track feature to prevent the loading of tracking elements that monitor your actions on websites and collect information about you

For further insights, read the full report Defending digital privacy: taking personal protection to the next level.

About Kaspersky

Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at usa.kaspersky.com.