Commentary

What's Your Digital World Worth?

How protective have consumers become of their digital privacy?

Well, a clear majority (74%) now say they would rather have their homes broken into than have their smartphones (or cloud storage platforms) hacked.

That’s according to new research conducted on behalf of cloud services startup MiMedia, and which surveyed 1,120 U.S. consumers for its findings.

What’s more, just over a quarter (26%) say they would travel more than 100 miles to retrieve their lost phones.

Yet, as important as our gadgets have become, most people can still imagine worse things than losing their phones. In fact, 74% of consumers say they’d rather lose their phone than their wallet.

What’s more, 28% of consumers say they wouldn’t pay a stranger a dime to return their lost or stolen phone -- more than the 21% who say they would pay between $51 to $100.

Meanwhile, just 4% of respondents say they would be willing to pay $200 or more to have their precious hardware returned. 

When asked why they would pay this or that amount to get their phones back, 63% of respondents said it’s more convenient than having to deal with wireless provider and/or retail store; 24% say they don’t have insurance; 20% have sentimental attachments; and 15% never backed up any of their content.

Next story loading loading..