Researchers looked at anonymized data voluntarily provided by visitors to the Privacy Checker website
Woburn, MA – December 15, 2021 – Kaspersky has released a data analysis revealing the platforms and services whose users are most concerned about privacy. Researchers looked at anonymized data voluntarily provided by visitors to Privacy Checker, a website that contains helpful advice on privacy settings for various internet services and platforms. The results showed the security settings (tight, medium, or relaxed) for each service or platform that people frequently looked for. According to the data, TikTok users were the most interested in tight security settings, compared to users of other apps – the share of such requests was 71%. Meanwhile, iPhone owners are most worried about online safety, in comparison to users of other mobile platforms – more than half (53%) of their requests referred to the strictest security settings.
Increased digital awareness is encouraging customers to take greater care of personal data and digital traces on the web. The use of various privacy settings on services and platforms ensures a high level of protection for accounts and personal information and also limits the number of digital footprints.
The data was obtained from anonymous visits to the Kaspersky Privacy Checker website between December 1, 2019 and November 15, 2021. Kaspersky social media experts looked at which services and platforms users opened the security instructions for most. Currently, the medium-level setting is the default on the Privacy Checker platform.
As for digital services, TikTok users weren’t alone in searching for tight security help. The Russian social network VK came in second place, with the share of requests for the highest level of safety at 48%. Instagram took third place, with 42% of queries related to the tight settings. At the same time, Facebook's safety level turned out to be the least worrisome for users – its share of requests for the strongest security tips was just 33%.
iPhone owners were more concerned about data protection that users of other mobile platforms. More than half (53%) of all queries were searches for the highest security level, while the percentage of medium requests was 42%. Meanwhile, 57% of Android users searched for settings for the medium level. Only 39% were interested in the strongest security tips.
As for desktop platforms, more than half of Mac (59%) users were interested in the medium settings, while Windows’ share was 41%. Owners of Mac devices looked for tight security tips less than owners of Windows devices – 33% versus 41%.
After analyzing all requests, the researchers identified that Android is the most popular platform among users looking for security tips on the Privacy Checker Website. Their overall share was 67%. The share of requests for iPhone was only 11%, and 4% for Mac. Almost a fifth (18%) of all queries came from Windows users.
“When using online services and platforms, users inevitably leave digital footprints,” said Sergey Malenkovich, head of social media at Kaspersky. “These can be geolocations in photos, IP addresses, etc. Today, digital consciousness is gaining popularity among users, because they have begun to pay more attention to the security level of personal information that is stored online. Using platforms like the Privacy Checker helps them to better understand the means to protect their personal data, as well as keep devices and accounts secure.”
Users can find detailed information on account privacy settings on the Kaspersky Privacy Checker website. In addition, Kaspersky has also prepared a short checklist to protect personal information on all platforms:
· Check a link before clicking. Hover over it to preview the URL and look for misspelling or other irregularities. Even if a message or email came from a best friend, remember their accounts could also have been hacked. Remain cautious in any situation. Even if a message seems friendly, treat links and attachments with caution.
· Private browsing in software such as Kaspersky Internet Security can help you to avoid internet tracking.
· Use a different password for each service. That way, even if one of your accounts gets stolen, the rest won’t go with it.
· It can be quite hard to memorize long, unique passwords for lots of services/ platforms, but with a password manager you can remember just one master password.
· iPhone users have some privacy controls provided by Apple, and users can block app access to photos, contacts, and GPS features if they think those permissions are unnecessary.
· Android users should carefully check apps permissions. The secure option is to prohibit unnecessary rights when installing a new app. The more permissions an app has, the more it can do on a device and the more data it can collect about the user. Additionally, a safe choice is to install a reliable security solution to ensure a comprehensive defense.
· Secure your phone and computer with passwords or passcodes. The secure option is to use passwords or biometric authentication to lock phones, tablets, and computers.
About Kaspersky
Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy 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 240,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at usa.kaspersky.com.
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