30 shocking online privacy statistics all internet users should be aware of
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In a time where 65.7% of the world’s population spends their time online, the importance of online privacy has never been more important.
Our every click leaves a digital footprint causing our data to be in the digital realm, accessible to anyone. This post aims to shed light on the top privacy statistics including data breaches, tracking and the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity.
User thoughts and behaviours
- 77% of people are concerned about how their data is used online.
- 57% of internet users globally find it impossible to completely protect their privacy.
- 85% of global adults want to do more to protect their privacy online.
- 79% of internet users are concerned about their privacy on social media.
- 51% of users believe social media companies are not doing enough to protect user data.
- 81% of users feel like they have little or no control over the data that social media collects.
- Over 50% of social media users are concerned their private data will be hacked.
- 81% of users say the potential risks they face from companies collecting data outweigh the benefits.
- 63% of Internet users believe most companies aren’t transparent about how their data is used, and 48% have stopped shopping with a company because of privacy concerns.
- 37% of users have ended relationships with companies over data.
- 60% of users say they would spend more money with a brand they trust to handle their personal data responsibly.
- Only 18% of US social media users feel that Facebook protects their data and privacy.
- 72% of people feel that almost all of what they do online is being tracked by advertisers.
Data breaches
- 1,774 security breaches were discovered in 2022.
- 1,143 breaches in 2022 leaked victims’ social security numbers, 565 breaches leaked victims’ home addresses and 443 breaches leaked victims’ bank account numbers.
- 1 in 5 online small businesses have been the victim of a cyberattack.
- As of 2023, the global average cost per data breach amounted to 4.45 million U.S. dollars, an increase from 4.35 million U.S. dollars in the previous year.
- Personal customer information such as name, email, and password is included in 44% of data breaches.
- 91% of all cyber attacks begin with a phishing email.
- Ransomware attacks have risen by 13% in the last five years
- Stanford Research shows that 88% Of Data breaches are caused by human error
Additional privacy statistics
- 72.6% of iOS apps track private user data.
- 42.9% of all websites use cookies.
- In 2022, 51% of small businesses admitted to not having cybersecurity measures in place, and 21% were developing cybersecurity plans.
- Social media collects more data than any other app. In particular, out of all the data a business can legally collect, Meta collects 79.49%.
- 57 countries still do not have policies in place to secure the protection of data and privacy.
- Only 20% of businesses believe they are now GDPR compliant.
- The global virtual private network (VPN) market size accounted for USD 48.94 billion in 2022 and it is expected to touch around USD 358.64 billion by 2032.
- In May 2023, Meta was given the highest GDPR fine to date was $1.2 billion
We take online security very serious here at Embryo
As internet users, it’s important that we stay informed, vigilant, and proactive in safeguarding our data and it’s clear more needs to be done by businesses to ensure data is protected.
To understand more about how you can ensure your business is protected against data breaches, contact us at 0161 327 2635 or email info@embryo.com.
Sources:
- Proton, 2023
- IT Governance, 2023
- Exploding Topics, 2023
- Statista, 2023
- Statista (1), 2023
- w3Techs, 2023
- Digital, 2022
- Clario, 2021
- Zipdo, 2023
- Pew Research Center, 2019
- Tableau, 2022
- Cisco, 2022
- UNCTAD, 2023
- IBM, 2021
- Deloitte, 2020
- Truata, 2021
- Norton, 2022
- Insider Intelligence, 2022
- Identity Theft Resource Centre, 2022
- Google Blogs, 2021
- Precedence Research, 2022
- Data Privacy Manager, 2023
- Varonis, 2023
- Knowbe4, 2023
