Research: Dutch not safe on internet

Research: Dutch not safe on internet

12-09-2017 10:14:56

PRESS RELEASE

Large majority of the Dutch population does not adhere to privacy measures online.

Research from BIT, specialist in collocation, internet connections, managed hosting and outsourcing, shows that no less than 68 percent of the Dutch population has no idea what happens to the information he or she leaves online. At the same time, more than half (59%) does not know what to do to protect their online privacy. Still, subconsciously, measures are being taken. 64 percent of the respondents protects their online privacy with strong passwords, 53 percent by using different passwords and 51 percent by regularly updating systems. Research also shows that only 42 percent uses unique passwords. The collected data is bundled in the report ‘Internet Eigenwijs 2017’. The respondents consisted of over 1000 Dutch people with an office job.

Sharing privacy sensitive information

The research shows that the Dutch people are not concerned with sharing privacy sensitive information on the internet. Especially the standard data like first and last name (75%), postal code and address (63% and 64%) are often shared easily. When it comes to banking and identification documents, they are more careful. For example, only 20 percent shares bank account numbers, 7 percent passport numbers and 12 percent credit card data.

Wido Potters, Manager Support & Sales at BIT: “The Dutch are mostly unaware of the measures they take in the field of online privacy protection. When we ask them how they should ensure their privacy, they have no idea. However, when we provide them with a list of security measures, it turns out that they do make use of some of the items on the list. Usually, it concerns dictated security measures then. It is logical that the majority of the people already use strong passwords, because they are often required when registering for online accounts. There are also many pop-ups to remind us of system updates. When we look at the measures that the Dutch people should actively take, we see the percentages drop significantly. We can conclude from this that people hardly put in any effort and do not realise the necessity for taking measures. In short, privacy protection is not top of mind and that is a troubling thing.”

Want to know more about the research results? Download the report ‘Internet eigenwijs’ here: https://www.bit.nl/bit-onderzoeksrapport-2017