Today, the digital association Bitkom published new survey results on the perception of Internet security among German consumers. According to the results, 52 percent of respondents said they felt very or somewhat unsafe on the Internet – for example due to phishing emails in their inbox, online fraud with fake stores or blackmail with stolen data.
For this representative survey, Bitkom Research on behalf of the digital association Bitkom interviewed a total of 1,014 Internet users in Germany aged 16 and above by telephone.
These are further details:
- 52 percent of Internet users said they felt very (24 percent) or rather (28 percent) unsafe on the Internet. On the other hand, 29 percent felt rather safe or very safe (15 percent).
- 7 out of 10 respondents see themselves as responsible for protecting themselves online, while only 15 percent feel that the state has a responsibility, and 13 percent see companies such as Internet providers or manufacturers of hardware and software as responsible.
Bernhard Rohleder, Bitkom CEO, said: "The threat situation on the Internet is getting worse. Not only critical infrastructures and companies are threatened by attacks from cybercriminals or state-controlled groups, but also each individual can become a target. It is important not to bury one's head in the sand, but to take very basic protective measures. These include installing software updates and using virus scanners and firewalls, as well as using secure passwords and two-factor authentication. People want to protect themselves online - and for that they need knowledge and tools. It is up to policymakers and industry to provide the information needed for solid protection. And companies must ensure that the necessary technical tools are also available and easy to use."
Source: Bitkom
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