Kaspersky Lab research finds keeping our digital privacy is increasingly difficult in our connected world

New research from Kaspersky Lab shows that keeping our digital privacy is growing more important – and challenging – in today’s increasingly connected world. A survey of 2,000 UK adults found that the consequences of the UK’s digital secrets being revealed are stark:

• A revealed secret has led down to the breakdown of a relationship for 9% of UK respondents
• A further one-in-10 (9%) said that a secret being revealed led to them being disowned by their family; this is one-in-six (16%) among 25-34-year olds.
• 15% of 25-34-year olds have an electronic device, email account or social media profile that their other half doesn’t know about.

The ramifications of a secret being revealed online as a result of a personal data privacy breach is increasingly stark: people fear financial ruin, loss of employment, reputational damage, losing friends and even partners and family members. 9% of respondents said that a secret being revealed has resulted in the breakdown of a relationship, whilst almost one-in-ten (9%) said that a secret being revealed has led to them being disowned by their family, rising to a concerning one-in-six (16%) among 25-34-year olds.

Despite the prevalence of high-profile data breaches, less than a third (34%) of respondents say they have strengthened their passwords. In fact, less than half (43%) admit to having up-to-date security protection on all their devices.

“We have become a society built upon digital secrets, with those secrets becoming commoditised and traded on the dark web. However, consumers continue to shun the requisite measures to protect themselves, despite the plethora of high-profile data breaches seemingly happening on a daily basis. This needs to change if consumers are to keep their digital privacy,” comments David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

Whether it is a password, bank account details or a series of photos taken at college, everyone has a multitude of secrets that they need to keep safe. Over one-in-ten (12%) of respondents in the UK have actuallyp been so concerned by a high-profile data breach that they have shut down one or more of their social media accounts in response.

“In today’s connected world, secrets are spread in real-time. As a result, keeping them is definitely more difficult than it was a few years ago. Because of this, secrets have become more precious – because their loss has become more expensive. Private information is in constant danger of being lost online or through social media,” adds Professor Dr. Frank Schwab.

To ensure you can maintain your digital privacy, Kaspersky Lab recommends that users:

• Think twice before posting on social media channels and consider the ramifications if something sensitive becomes public knowledge
• Keep their online credentials and passwords to themselves. Sharing them with family or friends could lead to exploitation and cybercriminals accessing personal information
• Adopt robust cybersecurity solutions to comprehensively control and protect their sensitive information.

Research methodology
The research was conducted for Kaspersky Lab by Arlington Research using an online survey of 2,000 nationally representative adults in the UK and 2,000 nationally representative adults in Germany. Nationally representative quotas were set for gender, age and region. For a full breakdown of the results, please click here.

 About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company, which has been operating in the market for 21 years. Kaspersky Lab’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into next generation security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.