While it’s estimated that 63% of the global population are online, more than a third (33%) would delete themselves from the internet if they could, according to a study by cybersecurity company NordVPN.
When asked about their motives, 45% said there is no reason for their name to be on the internet while 42% say they feel used because companies collect their data and use it to their advantage.
Another 34% said they feel that someone will eventually hack their devices, and 31% don’t trust the internet.
According to respondents from the survey of 10,800 people, half (50%) said they wanted their personal financial information to be deleted from the internet. Other information people want deleted from the internet include:
33% – Unflattering photos/videos
28% – Embarrassing moments
25% – Old dating/social media profiles
15% – Previous employment history
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“While removing yourself from the internet sounds like a good idea for those concerned with having their personal information exposed to the wrong entities, you have to ask yourself if wiping the slate totally clean is even possible in our digital-dominant world,” posed NordVPN digital privacy expert Daniel Markuson https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarkuson/.
“Our study also found that some would be in favour of a more practical approach because 38% would be in favour of paying to use the internet anonymously at all times.”
Those who want to seek anonymity online are willing to pay for it with the study revealing that 27% would pay up to US$100 ($144), 7% would pay between US$101-500 ($146-$722) to be anonymous.
Two percent of respondents said they would pay even more.
To know or not know – that is the question!
The survey found that keeping their personal information safe on the internet is the key to happiness online.
Seventy-one percent of people would most be afraid of having their financial data accessed by a hacker (or malicious third party). Forty-three percent are afraid of having their texts and email accessed, 35% said medical information, 33% said social media accounts, and 24% said sex life.
“While we can hope to remove some information about ourselves online, only better online habits can help people feel safer when they’re on the internet. Using more sophisticated passwords, trusted cybersecurity tools (such as a VPN, antivirus, and password manager) and practicing a general awareness of threats will help people protect their most valuable information online for years to come,” advised Markuson.
This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 24 August 2022.
