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GlobalWebIndex Data and Privacy

Data Privacy Day: 56% are worried about the internet eroding their personal privacy

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By Ishbel Macleod, PR and social media consultant

January 28, 2014 | 2 min read

Today, 28 January, is data privacy day, and GlobalWebIndex has unveiled research stating that 56 per cent of the public say that they are worried about the internet eroding their personal privacy – up from 50 per cent two years ago.

GlobalWebIndex asked 170,000 individuals in 32 markets annually representing 89 per cent of the global internet population for their views on privacy.

It was found that worry about data privacy varied in different countries: only 17 per cent of the Swedish internet population are concerned about data privacy, while in South Korea 68 per cent said that they were concerned.

GlobalWebIndex found that over a quarter (28 per cent) use Virtual Private Network (VPN) tools when they go online, with the company predicting that this means roughly 120 million people worldwide are already using such tools.

The main reasons given for this include to access better entertainment content or restricted sites, while 26 per cent said it was to be able to ‘browse anonymously’.

Earlier this month, a study by EY found that 92 per cent of UK adults uncomfortable sharing their data with social media networks.

GlobalWebIndex Data and Privacy

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