New online research has found that less than half of people in the UK trust European companies with their data, with only 49% of people believing that companies within Europe holding their personal information are responsible.
A shift in consumer fear is reflected in the study, as the results found that people are now just as worried about online identity theft (50%), as they are their home being broken into and personal belongings being stolen (50%).
The survey commissioned by YouGov and Panda Security found that more than half of people (65%) are frightened that an imposter will impersonate them through identity theft, followed closely by the fear their personal information will be hacked (64%).
Despite fears, the findings show that the majority of people (66%) still use the same password across multiple sites and accounts, with nearly half of people (46%) only backing up their personal data in one place.
Nearly two in five people in the UK (38%) only depend on free antivirus software that comes with a device, with over a quarter of people (27%) not ensuring they have any protection on all their technology products.
Neil Martin, marketing manager at Panda Security UK said, “People are consuming online services more than ever, and the threat to personal security has never been greater. Easy steps can be taken to reduce fear and combat threats such as identity theft by simply turning on private browsing or using a password manager.”
Panda Security, a multinational cybersecurity company, has provided 10 tips for people to improve their personal protection from ongoing threats.
How to protect yourself – 10 tips
- Keep your browser and any plugins updated
- Use a browser that allows you to take your bookmarks with you between devices
- Block Pop-ups
- Use an ad blocker
- Enable “do not track” in your browser
- Clear your web browser cache and cookies
- Turn on private browsing
- Use a VPN
- Use a password manager
- Ensure you have up-to-date antivirus and firewall protection.
