Data Breaches are Now Changing Consumers’ Online Behaviors

TalentZoo.com | Beyond Madison Avenue | Digital Pivot | Beneath the Brand

Archives | Categories

By: Bulldog Reporter

“Breach fatigue” is undeniable at this point—data compromises are a daily occurrence, and so-called “mega breaches” aren’t met with the shock and awe that they once were. But just because breaches have become old hat doesn’t mean that people aren’t recognizing the risks and reacting to them—in fact, the results of a survey recently released by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) indicate that consumers have been taking notice, and are changing their online habits as a result.

Security Concerns Are Leading to Activity Restrictions

In July 2015, the NTIA asked the U.S. Census Bureau conduct a survey about online privacy and security concerns. Several cyber security questions were posed to more than 41,000 American households, each of which included at least one Internet user. The analysis of the survey’s data shows that concerns are up and certain Internet activities—including those that drive business—are down as a result. Here are a few of the key findings:

19% of the Internet-active households—which, when extrapolated, represents almost 19 million households—said they had been affected by a breach in the 12 months preceding the survey.
Higher degrees of connectivity seem to correlate to greater online risk. Only 9% of households that used one web-enabled device reported breaches; in contrast, 31% of households that connected via five or more devices suffered a similar fate.

KEEP READING HERE