It’s the second annual Data Privacy Day. The United States, Canada and 27 European countries worked Wednesday to drive awareness and generate discussion about data-privacy practices and rights.
In conjunction with the event, Microsoft commissioned focus-group research to determine which privacy issues are most important to consumers. The Harris Interactive survey highlights the most common forms of online fraud attacks and consumers’ awareness of how to avoid them.
Nearly one out of five persons surveyed has been a victim of at least one Internet scam. Of those people, 81 percent admitted they did something that led to the crime, such as opening an e-mail that appeared to be from a legitimate person or company. More than half of the respondents (58 percent) admitted they had little to no knowledge of current online threats and scams.
Consumers Don’t Understand Threats
While many consumers are very concerned about protecting online privacy, they typically have only a surface understanding of the threats they face, according to Microsoft Chief Privacy Strategist Peter Cullen. People take basic steps such as using spam filters, deleting cookies, and installing antivirus software, he said, but they’re not necessarily aware of what these technologies do.
“People also have a perception that once their information is online, there isn’t much they can do to protect it,” Cullen said. “Many people aren’t aware of the controls they have, such as the ability to opt out of behaviorally targeted advertising or new tools in Internet browsers.”
What’s more, specific concerns and risks change depending on how people use the Internet. Cullen offered an example: Threats to privacy from social-networking sites are a large concern for young people and, increasingly, middle-aged professionals. Online finance issues, on the other hand, may affect older people more.
“What these findings tell us is that we must do more to educate consumers. People are…