Don’t get too wrapped up in Cyber Monday euphoria. A study shows that consumers still view the online experience with a bilious eye -- especially when it comes to privacy, according to a study by the Global Cyber Alliance.
In the U.S., for example, 35% have pulled back on a purchase because of security fears. Worse, 68% of U.S. consumers have clicked on a link in an email that has led them to somewhere they didn’t expect. In the UK, it’s 60%.
In Germany, 55% have abandoned purchases, compared with 45% in the UK and 38% in France.
But don’t get smug about the Europeans: There’s plenty of other bad news back in the U.S.Only half feel they can determine whether an online shopping site is legitimate and/or safe. And 60% have had their computer infected with malware. In addition, 50% have visited sites that they feared could do harm to their computers or devices. In addition, 77% have mistyped a website address and been taken to a different site.
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Moreover, 12% lose sleep over worries that they will be scammed online, and 27% said that this fear in general causes excessive worry .
And security protections? In America, only 16% feel comfortable using a free cybersecurity product in exchange for sharing personal data about their online behavior. Only 4% have given their ISP permission to share with their activity with marketers.
Just a little damper for your holiday.
The Alliance worked with Zogby Analytics to survey 1,019 consumers in the U.S., 602 in France, 633 in Germany and 611 in the UK.
Yeah, and they're pushing self driving cars as the answer to everything. A hackers Eutopia . You'd be a fool to put your trust into millions of bits of information per second, to keep you safe in a car and on track..................NO Thanx.............besides it will take the fun out of watching Facebook and driving at the same time.
My prediction: there will be a mass rebellion against all of this when people realize this junk wastes your life. Facebook will eventually be on it's face.