Netizens often say that what is posted online stays online forever. While this is mostly said about photos and videos, internet privacy statistics show that the same goes for your personal data.
Many regulations deal with how user data is collected, stored, and shared. It’s only a matter of time when all organizations globally decide to improve their protocols and offer increased user privacy on their platform.
However, there’s more than just your data to pay attention to. For example, sharing sensitive information on social media can lead to phishing attacks, leading to identity theft. Here’s what the numbers show.
Online Privacy Statistics (Editor’s Choice)
- About 79% of Americans worry about companies infringing their online privacy.
- Approximately 66% of Americans don’t agree with the government collecting their data.
- Only 22% of people read the privacy policies.
- A total of 70% of adults believe their data is less secure today than five years ago.
- Still, 42% of internet users trust a social media platform with their sensitive data.
- About 45% of Americans have their social media accounts set to private.
- About 53% of adults claim they don’t know how to protect themselves against cybercrime.
- A total of 71% of internet users are concerned about their internet safety when they visit online bank accounts.
Statistics on Dangers of the Internet
The internet is a fun place, but it also carries dangers that don’t exist anywhere else in the world. Clicking one wrong link can lead to a phishing attack, which may ruin your life. This is what you should pay attention to while browsing the web.
1. There’s a 600% increase in cyberattacks that started with the pandemic.
(Sources: PurpleSec; Tessian)
According to the latest internet safety statistics, there’s a 600% increase in cyberattacks that arrived with the pandemic. The sophisticated email schemes are also rising, as criminals often pose as CDC or WHO representatives. Phishing attacks have also doubled in frequency from 2019 to 2020.
2. One hacking attack occurs every 39 seconds.
(Source: Cybint Solutions)
The internet has become such a dangerous place that one hacking attack occurs approximately every 39 seconds. According to the statistics on internet dangers, one in three Americans is hit every year, mostly because of weak usernames.
3. Americans are targets for 42% of attackers.
(Sources: Duo; Norton)
There are around 2,200 cyberattacks each day. Unfortunately, Americans are targets for 42% of attackers. On the other hand, just 10% of attacks are aimed at UK citizens. However, the high-risk countries remain in Europe and Africa, based on the internet privacy stats.
4. There were 18 million daily malware and phishing emails related to COVID-19.
(Source: Duo)
At the beginning of the pandemic, Gmail servers were hit by 240 million COVID-related spam messages and 18 million daily malware and phishing emails. Those who had their emails exposed had 5x higher chances of being hit with a spam or malware email.
5. Overall, 41% of Americans have experienced some form of online harassment.
(Source: Pew Research)
When it comes to online harassment, about 41% of Americans have experienced it in some form. However, this number has remained unchanged since 2017.
Online Privacy Facts
Online privacy is all about how your data is collected, stored, and shared. When it comes to the US, many worry that companies are infringing on their online privacy. Still, only 22% of Americans read privacy policies.
6. About 79% of Americans worry about companies infringing on their online privacy.
(Source: DMA Solutions)
As many as 79% of Americans worry about companies infringing on their online privacy. This is especially important for businesses that must comply with FTC’s instructions on privacy policies, GDPR, and CCPA.
7. A total of 56% of Americans have more trust in the private sector than the government when it comes to security.
(Source: AP News)
Privacy and internet surveillance statistics show that 56% of Americans have more trust in the private sector than their government when it comes to security and privacy improvements. Strange enough, more trust in the private sector is present regardless of the latest privacy scandals.
8. Approximately 66% of Americans don’t agree with the government collecting their data.
(Source: Pew Research)
When it comes to data collection and its benefits, 66% of US citizens don’t agree with the data collected by the government. Some 81% claim that data collecting by companies is risky and outweighs the benefits, according to online privacy statistics.
9. What’s more, 70% of adults believe their data is less secure today than five years ago.
(Source: Pew Research)
A total of 70% of American adults also believe their data is less secure today than it was five years ago. Moreover, only 6% have faith that their data is safer today than it was in the past.
10. However, only 22% read the privacy policies.
(Source: Pew Research)
Internet privacy statistics also show that, even though Americans are worried about their data, only 22% of them read the privacy policies. Additionally, 36% claim they never read the privacy policies before agreeing to them.
11. A total of 72% of Americans also believe they’re being tracked by advertisers, IT companies, and other entities.
(Source: Pew Research)
What’s more, 72% of Americans feel that almost all they do on their devices is tracked by advertisers, IT firms, or other companies based on internet privacy facts. Another 19% think that only a part of what they do is tracked, and 47% believe that the government tracks most of their online activities.
12. Additionally, 78% of Americans claim they understand close to nothing about what’s done with their data.
(Source: Pew Research)
A majority of Americans – 78%, say they don’t understand what the government does with their data. About 59% say they feel the same about the data companies collect. Only 6% of adults know what companies do, and 4% know what the government does with their information.
Statistics on Social Media Privacy
Sharing photos on social media is fun until your account gets stolen. Unfortunately, this happens to about 13% of Americans. Here’s why you should pay attention to what you share on Facebook.
13. Over 5% of phishing attacks happen on social media.
(Source: SectigoStore)
Social media is another part of the internet where people can go through phishing attacks. Based on social media privacy facts, about 5% of phishing attacks happen on the networks, and users may lose sensitive data.
14. About 13% of Americans had their social media account stolen by an unauthorized user.
(Source: Tulane)
About 45% of the global population uses social networks. That many connections online can leave users open to attacks. So much so that 13% of Americans have had their social media accounts taken over by unauthorized users. What’s more, these attacks often lead to stolen information, statistics on social media privacy issues show.
15. Still, 42% of internet users will trust a social media platform with their sensitive data.
(Source: Brandon Gaille)
Regardless of the dangers of social media, 42% of internet users would rather trust the networks with their personal data, compared to 35% who would trust a search engine. For example, 71% of people don’t mind sharing their phone numbers online.
16. A total of 74% of Facebook users didn’t know the company stores lists of their interests and traits.
(Source: Pew Research)
Facts about privacy on social media point out that 74% of Facebook users didn’t know the company stores lists of their interests. In addition, a total of 51% of Facebook users aren’t comfortable with Facebook creating a list of categories for them, and 27% think the lists don’t describe them very accurately.
17. Only 57% of Americans think that Twitter protects their data.
(Source: Hootsuite)
When it comes to Twitter, 57% of US Twitter users believe that the platform protects their private information. Still, online privacy stats show that Twitter ranks seven out of nine digital platforms for digital trust. Only TikTok and Facebook rank worse.
18. About 45% of Americans have all their social media accounts set to private.
(Source: Statista)
Keeping a social media account private can prevent some issues with privacy breaches. As of 2018, 45% of Americans have all their accounts set to private. On the contrary, 19% have their accounts completely open to all.
Online Safety Statistics
Staying safe online means knowing how to protect yourself. However, 53% of Americans don’t know which steps to take to stay safe from cybercrime. Besides not clicking suspicious links, using multi-factor authentication is the key.
19. About 53% of adults claim they don’t know how to protect themselves against cybercrime.
(Sources: Norton; Hive Systems; FinancesOnline)
About 15% of people who were successfully scammed will be targeted at least once more in 12 months. What’s worse, 53% of Americans don’t know how to remain safe online. Still, data privacy statistics show that multi-factor authentication can block up to 99.9% of attacks.
20. Unfortunately, 50% of internet users have the same password for all their accounts.
(Source: FinancesOnline)
Sometimes it’s the password that’s the problem. Unfortunately, 50% of internet users have the same password for all their accounts. A total of 60% of people say they’re lazy when creating passwords, so it’s easier to use the same one.
21. Still, 44% of Americans use a password manager to handle their passwords.
(Source: FinancesOnline)
Based on the internet privacy analysis, 44% of Americans know how important passwords are for their online safety. This is why they use a password manager to keep their passwords safe.
22. A total of 71% of internet users are concerned about their internet safety when they visit online bank accounts.
(Source: Brandon Gaille)
Most of the people, 71%, are concerned about their online safety while accessing bank accounts and financial services. About 57% are concerned while shopping, and 27% think about internet safety when they reference themselves online.
Child Internet Privacy Statistics
Children are especially easy targets when they visit the internet. However, not all parents pay attention to what their kids do online, and some even let them use the internet without restrictions.
23. Only 15% of parents know what their children do online.
(Source: GuardChild)
At the moment, only 15% of parents know what their kids do online, based on the statistics for internet privacy. Additionally, only one-third of households with internet access are protected by filtering or blocking software.
24. About 29% of parents allow their kids to use the internet without restrictions.
(Sources: Brandon Gaille; ConsumerAffairs)
What’s more, 29% of parents let their children use the internet without any restrictions. However, leaving the children unsupervised while on the web can lead to child identity theft since hackers can use that data for a clean slate, data privacy trends show.
25. A total of 47% of parents worry their kids will give out too much personal information online.
(Source: Brandon Gaille)
Additionally, 47% of parents worry their children will give out too much personal information to strangers online. This is why 77% have rules when their children use the internet, and 63% speak with their kids about online safety.
26. What’s more, 25% of parents secretly check their kids’ social media sites.
(Source: Brandon Gaille)
Still, 25% of parents secretly check their kid’s social media sites. Also, 34% check the web history without the knowledge of their kids.
Statistics on Online Privacy Breaches
In spite of all the safety measures one can take, online privacy breaches still happen. Sometimes it’s weak passwords that allow hackers to penetrate the accounts, and sometimes it’s the platforms that get hacked.
27. The largest recent data breach happened to Yahoo and compromised 3 billion users.
(Source: Website Rating)
One of the worst data breaches in recent history happened to Yahoo in 2013. This breach affected 3 billion users, and internet privacy data statistics show it leaked phone numbers, birth dates, and security questions.
28. Over 164.68 million privacy records were exposed in the US in 2019.
(Source: Bantu Khaya)
In 2019, the US had more than 164.68 million privacy records leaked out. Still, the US and the Middle East spend the most on post-data breach response. Costs in the US hit $1.56 million and $1.43 million in the Middle East.
29. Cybercriminals will steal a total of 33 billion records in the US by 2023.
(Source: Norton)
Statistics on the invasion of privacy show that cybercriminals will steal about 33 billion records in the US by 2023. These records include information users share with various entities, like names, addresses, credit card information, or social security numbers.
30. Weak passwords cause up to 81% of attacks.
(Sources: Website Rating; Cybersecurity Ventures)
About 300 billion passwords should be protected globally. This is because weak passwords cause up to 81% of cyberattacks overall, based on the internet privacy violation statistics.
31. A total of 96% of ransomware victims still got their data back.
(Source: Sophos)
When it comes to the organizations that suffered the data breach, 96% of them got their data back. About 57% used backups to restore information, and 32% paid ransom to get the data, according to compromised internet privacy statistics. Only 8% used other means to restore sensitive information.
32. Identity theft happened to 47% of Americans.
(Source: III)
Increased unemployment at the beginning of the pandemic caused the increase in financial identity theft in the US. So much so that 47% of Americans experienced it. The most common types of frauds included application frauds and account takeovers, all with the intention to steal the funds.
Conclusion
The internet is a dangerous place. Internet privacy statistics show that cybercriminals constantly look for new ways of stealing people’s information and abuse it. Unfortunately, a small number of adults know what’s going on with their data once it’s collected.
Many people also have poor password habits, which improves the chance of data breaches. With the beginning of the pandemic, cyberattacks increased, and financial identity theft became more common. Still, people aren’t careful when sharing their sensitive data online.
The current regulations on internet privacy should improve how the data is managed and possibly increase the security of sensitive information shared with companies and governments.
FAQ
Even though the internet offered multiple benefits for humanity, it also brought up several concerns, many related to the use of private information. The increase of the internet and online services prompts users to leave a digital footprint that can be abused.
What’s more, people stopped being careful when posting about their private life on social media. Background checks are also common, and the internet can provide your information to anyone out there, often without your knowledge. Overall, it seems that as soon as you get online, your data doesn’t belong only to you.
The latest technologies are making it easier for governments and other entities to collect your personal data. Corporations also often collect information and sell it further, all thanks to outdated online privacy laws.
Still, internet privacy involves the right to know more about the storing, repurposing, third-party provisions, and displaying information about a person. Internet privacy falls under the data privacy regulations. However, data privacy has many challenges since it’s trying to manage data usage with privacy preferences.
The fact remains that most people aren’t worried about sharing some of their personal information online. Since many are moving their whole personalities to the online world, how they share their data can have devastating effects on their privacy.
Everyone’s daily lives consist of sharing pieces of data online. Still, the latest laws and regulations are working on improving the data collection methods and third-party access, and companies are making positive changes to protect the privacy of their customers.
Internet privacy refers to the range of technologies, protocols, and concepts related to giving individual users increased privacy protection while they browse the global internet. Internet privacy has many forms, some of which include obligatory privacy statements on websites, data sharing controls, data transparency initiatives, and similar.
One of the most important aspects of online privacy is handling user data. One of the best examples of regulation is the GDPR, a European standard adopted to protect the citizens of the EU.
About six in 10 Americans believe it’s impossible to go through daily life without some sort of data being collected, either by companies or the government. What’s more, 70% of adults believe their data is less secure today than five years ago.
However, only 22% of Americans read the privacy policies, but overall, 78% claim they don’t understand what’s done with their data. Another 72% also believe they’re being tracked by advertisers, IT companies, and other entities.
Online privacy and related laws should define how all online parties store, share, and use user data. Simply put, it’s the amount of security an individual has while connected to the internet. Online privacy is especially important for online financial services and communication.
Both organizations and internet users should focus on improving online privacy. Companies are adopting the recent regulations. However, internet privacy statistics show that about 300 billion passwords should be improved so that users can keep their privacy high.